Tablelands Farming Systems is focused on the future of farming

TFS is a vehicle for change and driving adoption of new agronomic technologies and farming practices

What TFS Represents

Area farmed: 60,000 hectares

Sheep: 240,000

Cattle: 11,000

Main member enterprises: sheep (merino and terminals), cattle, cropping, horticulture.

Member area: Southern Tablelands region – major centres Goulburn, Crookwell, Yass, Gunning, Braidwood, Bigga.

Our goal: productive, profitable and sustainable farmers in the tablelands region of New South Wales

Better Business

Key projects

  • Soil Moisture Probes
  • Seasonal Forecasting
  • Worm Egg Count Program
  • Southern NSW Drought Hub
  • Drench Resistance Project
  • Business Benchmarking
  • Farmer Forum Field Days
  • Sheep and Cattle Production Workshops
  • Fertiliser Efficiency and Soil Health
  • Pasture Management and Utilisation
  • Conservation and Environment Sustainability

About us

As a grower-owned organisation founded in 2013, Tablelands Farming Systems has quickly established itself as a credible provider of localised farming information and delivers training and workshops to improve the way farms operate. We are focused on supporting farmers of all size and shape and we work closely with government agencies, agribusiness and local agricultural service providers to offer the latest industry information direct to our members.

Core to the organisation’s mandate is that our members directly influence the type of projects we run and these respond to specific challenges in our region and/or enhance our members’ overall farm business and land management.

Since commencement TFS has run a large number of successful initiatives that have directly benefited our members’ bottom line, including Soil Club which focuses on fertiliser efficiency, sheep and cattle production days and we provide information from a large network of soil moisture probes which are an important piece of the puzzle in terms of developing accurate seasonal forecasting specific to our region. We have also introduced an incentive based worm egg count testing project which is proving valuable for members.

The farming systems model is proving to be hugely successful right around Australia; particularly because of the role the groups play in directly addressing farmers’ needs in a timely and practical way. Our overall success is inextricably linked to the level of engagement of the Tableland Farming Systems Board and members to shape the types of research, development and extension activities that are undertaken.

Initiatives

Farming Forecaster

We have launched the new Farming Forecaster tool which TFS has been involved with since inception. The launch happened in April 2020 via Webinar with the Hon Angus Taylor, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction cutting the ‘online ribbon’ for the unveiling. Farming Forecaster puts weather, soil moisture, pasture production and livestock performance information at the fingertips of farmers allowing them to make timely and informed decisions during increasingly volatile and variable conditions. This system was made possible through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program with a Smart Farming Partnership grant.
Access to the system has been released to TFS members via personalized logins with the public page available to all. To become a member of TFS and gain access to the TFS member only areas of Farming Forecaster, please make contact with us.

Worm Testing

2019 saw TFS launch a Worm Egg Count (WEC) program for members. This program involves TFS providing the resources and lab testing for up to $310 of WEC testing for each membership, through Dawbuts Animal Health in Camden. The results from member testing are collated and input into a spreadsheet. Every 2 weeks deidentified testing results are loaded into the member only section of Farming Forecaster.
Besides providing valuable information to producers and encouraging members to WEC, this project provides geographical feedback on worm burdens in the TFS area. Please note that TFS will accept worm testing results from members from any lab. For more information on becoming a member and taking up the free worm testing please contact us.

Soil Testing

Annual soil testing is an important step for producers monitoring soil fertility. TFS offers all members a streamlined soil testing process with $225 of free testing each year. Members can also take advantage of the reduced TFS rates for additional testing. The soil testing program has been running since 2015 and members that participate annually have built up an understanding of their soil fertility levels and compositions. Annually the results are collated and analysed by industry experts with results presented to members. For more information on becoming a member to take advantage of soil testing please contact us.

Drought Hub

TFS were successful in securing funding to become a part of the Southern NSW Drought Hub. The Hub is one of eight across Australia, established by the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment. The Southern NSW Hub is a partnership led by Charles Sturt University in Wagga and also includes University of Wollongong. University of Canberra, Australian National University, NSW Local Land Services, NSW DPI, First Nations Governance Circle, RuralAid and Farming Systems Group Alliance (which includes TFS).
The purpose of the Hub is to support farmers and communities to prepare for drought. Our role within the hub is to be a knowledge broker. This means talking to farmers and communities to find out what they need to increase resilience and better prepare them for drought. Over the coming months, TFS will be sitting down with farmers on a regular basis to better understand these needs. If you would like to find out more information, please get in touch.

Additional TFS Projects and Initiatives

* Ag Factsheets
* Biosecurity Plan Requirements
* Mentorships
* Reduced rate ‘Next Gen’ Memberships for the next generation of farmers
* Seasonal Updates
* Field Days related to current Agricultural topics and issues

Our Members

Membership is targeted at progressive farming operations across all enterprises including wool, beef, meat sheep, cropping and livestock. Small area farmers and producers of niche enterprises are also encouraged to be involved with the group.

Our membership comprises 55 businesses involved in agriculture in the tablelands region—representing over 60 farming, advisory, research and other agribusiness organisations. TFS members collectively farm more than 240,000 sheep and 11,000 cattle.

MEMBERSHIP OFFERING
MEMBERSHIP FORM

Map of area

Our Reach

Tablelands Farming Systems’ members cover more than 60,000 hectares of the tablelands region—extending from Bigga and Reids Flat in the north-west to Collector and Breadalbane in the south and includes the major agricultural centres of Goulburn, Bungonia, Crookwell, Laggan, Taralga, Tarago, Bungendore, Braidwood, Yass and Gunning.

TFS also reaches the wider tablelands farming community (potentially 2831 farmers and 1,551,118 hectares in the slopes and tablelands LLS areas) through workshops, training and information dissemination. Tablelands Farming Systems’ activities involves growers from five local government areas, including the Upper Lachlan, Goulburn–Mulwaree, Boorowa, Palerang and Yass Valley Shires.

The soils, climate, topography and land use vary significantly across the region, with high, medium and low rainfall production zones and a range of farming enterprises. Although the predominant farm enterprises focused around livestock and mixed farming production.

Partners

Thank you to all our generous partners for their continuing support of Tablelands Farming Systems.

Sponsors

Rabobank
Boyce Accountants
Elders

Industry Partners

McGeechan’s Farm Supplies
Nutrien Ag Supplies
Virbac
NSW Farmers
Agri Strategies
Dawbutts

We are also proud to be a part of the Southern NSW Drought Hub.

Our Team

Brad Croker

Chair

Brad grew up on the family farm at Taralga. He and his six siblings were always involved in working with their parent’s, running sheep and cattle.

After a few years working as a livestock salesman and auctioneer in Wagga and Bombala, Brad returned to Goulburn to work as a farm manager.

Since 2012, he has been working for Gidleigh Pastoral Co at Bungendore, where he has expanded the grazing business to now include 3 additional leased properties producing beef, lamb and wool.

Brad recently moved back to the family farm at Taralga with his partner Lauren and 3 children. They are enjoying being back home and getting involved in the local community again.

Brad is passionate about farming and sees a bright future for agriculture. He believes that TFS has so much to offer members and will play a big part in helping producers make smarter, more informed decisions in their businesses.

Kate Garrett

Treasurer B. Bus (Accounting) & IT Charles Sturt University

Kate was raised on a property on the Northern Riverina. She holds a double degree in Business (Accounting) and Information Technology from the Charles Sturt University. Kate joined Boyce as part of their cadetship program in their Wagga office, in March 2003. Kate combined full time work with post-graduate studies to become a qualified Chartered Accountant in 2010. After 14 years in the Wagga Wagga office, Kate transferred to Boyce Goulburn in November 2017.
Kate has been involved in a number of community organisations including the Amie St Clair Melanoma Trust and various sporting groups. Outside of work, Kate has two small children that keep her active and is a keen netballer.

Alex Wheelwright

Director

Alex is a 6th generation farmer, running a super fine wool operation over a couple of properties. Alex has also worked on properties in both Ireland and the UK.
He is passionate about the future and sustainability of agriculture and believes that TFS is a great way to gain information on all aspects of agriculture in order to move forward.

Don Burbidge

Director

Don has been farming his home block ‘Burnafahes’ at Bigga since 1974 after he completed a Diploma in Applied Sc Agriculture at Wagga Ag College in 1973. Originally starting with a Shorthorn Cattle breeding herd and a self-replacing Merino flock he now runs just the Merinos for wool production with the potential for opportunistic cattle trading.
Along with being a founding member of TFS, Don is currently involved with Wool Connect Ltd and has held many local volunteer positions including being a founding board member of The Upper Lachlan Foundation and Captain of the Bigga Rural Fire Brigade.

Eliza Walker

Project Officer

Eliza resides near Bungendore with her husband and 2 children, having moved out of Sydney in 2017.
Eliza has an extensive background in business administration and operations, originally in fast-paced corporate roles in Sydney, and more recently supporting an agricultural technology startup in the Southern Tablelands area.

John Klem

Vice Chair, B.A.(Ed), HDA

John has 50 years’ experience in the Agricultural Industry and a Diploma of Agriculture from Hawkesbury Agricultural College and a Bachelor of Arts – Adult Education. He and his wife Kathryn currently farm at Bannister near Crookwell producing vealers and fat lambs. John was head teacher of Rural Studies at Goulburn TAFE for 15 years and has been involved in a number of agricultural extension groups and Landcare. John has been chair of the State Catchment Committee, a Board Member of the Sydney Catchment Authority, a Member of the Natural Resources Advisory Committee, a NSW Representative on the Australian Landcare Council and chair of the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority. John has formal training in Corporate Governance and has completed the Company Director’s course. John has a keen interest in supporting and encouraging the next generation of young farmers and believes the TFS group will be a major contributor to this cause.

Felicity Wheelwright

Director

Felicity is the 4th generation to manage her family’s fine wool sheep and cattle grazing operation at Roslyn. Felicity holds a Bachelor of Business Agricultural Commerce (USYD) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance (FINSIA). She is a Certified Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma (process improvement methodology) from University Of Technology Sydney. Felicity has utilised these skills in her 16-year banking career at Rabobank where she is currently the Head of Middle Office, working from Roslyn.

Felicity believes that the diversity of scale, geography, ecology, and background of TFS members and the farming systems that they operate, enables TFS to be a valuable knowledge-sharing forum for all its members.

Peter Hall

Director

Peter joined MH Premium Farms in 2007, when MHPF purchased Watson Park in Goulburn NSW. He stayed on as the farm manager and in 2015 went on to also become our Area Manager of Northern Livestock zone.

Prior to this,Peter had been in various roles to help grow his passion and experience. These roles consisted of farm management, station hand, head stockman and overseer throughout NSW, QLD and WA.

Peter runs our 37,000 head merino flock as well as producing first and second cross Lambs. He also manages 2,700 head of Angus and runs a 2,000 ha winter cropping program.

Peter is passionate about all areas of agriculture and enjoys finding the best fit for different farms, rainfall and soil types. He believes the best way to become a low cost producer is to produce more of your product as efficiently as possible.

Hugh Klem

Director

Hugh took over running the family farm in February 2017 and runs a self replacing Merino flock. Half the flock are joined to Border Leicester rams for lamb production.
Hugh’s early years were spent on the family farm at Mummel where they ran Mummel Merino Stud.
Post school, Hugh completed his building apprenticeship in Sydney working for 10 years as a carpenter and then for a further 10 years as a qualified builder, returning to Goulburn in 2004.

Camilla Beck

Executive Officer

Camilla lives on a small property in Goulburn with her young family. Together with her husband, they lease land around Goulburn and own a farm at Laggan.
Prior to joining TFS, Camilla worked at Regional Development Australia Southern Inland for 4 years, as the Project and Communications Officer. In this role, Camilla worked closely with local community members and industry to help drive growth and development in the region. Camilla holds a Bachelor of Business with a Masters in Communication Management. Camilla also currently runs the Goulburn Young Farmers Network, established to bring local young farmers together and share knowledge.

Latest News

New Online Tool – Farming Forecaster

The new Farming Forecaster tool was launched in April 2020 and…

Healthy Soils

In conjunction with Graminus Consulting, TFS is offering members…

COVID-19

Here at TFS we have been monitoring the information available…
More news

Contact us

Lets work together to innovate agriculture for a more sustainable future

Fill in the form or call Camilla Beck or Eliza Walker for more information.

  • 0437 778 638

  • PO Box 791 Goulburn, NSW 2580

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Name