Yallock
Holbrook, NSW
Tony and Vicky Geddes
“Without the treelines, with a nude landscape, if you get out here on a hot summer’s day, it gets pretty oppressive; or a freezing cold winter without some form of shelter across the landscape, you look at it and think, that’s pretty oppressive.” Tony Geddes
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Property size: 1,151 ha Farming enterprises: sheep, beef, dryland cereals, oilseeds and pasture crops Annual rainfall: 650 mm Threatened species: Turquoise Parrot, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Regent Honeyeater, Speckled Warbler, Varied Sittella, Flame Robin, Diamond Firetail, Scarlet Robin, Hooded Robin and Brown Treecreeper |
Tony and Vicky Geddes took over ‘Yallock’, the 1,151 ha family farm located north of Holbrook around 15 years ago. They run mainly sheep, some cattle, and incorporate dryland cropping of cereals, oilseeds and pasture crops into their farming system. Tony’s grandparents bought the property at a time when it was overrun with rabbits, which meant they could only maintain a small number of stock. They worked hard and managed to eradicate the rabbits. The farm now runs many more livestock. Tony and Vicky are in their 50s with a young family. Both work full time on the farm. Vicky manages their large herd of sheep while Tony focuses on cropping and other assets of the property. They monitor their soil and use soil supplements as required to enhance paddock performance. Tony and Vicky are committed to adopting cutting edge agricultural technologies to get the best results. They are also interested in trialling new approaches to natural asset management to improve their farm system.
The Geddes family have a long history with Landcare. Tony’s parents were early members of the local Landcare group, initiating tree planting on the property. Several of these plantings have been monitored by the ANU and Tony and Vicky continue to maintain these tree plots and corridors. They are active Landcare members and share information from Sustainable Farms through the various groups that they are involved with.
