Lives and Livelihoods

Outstanding achievements by outstanding Individuals

Phil and Annette Howie – Maneroo Station, Douglas Daly

Former West Australia sheep, cattle and hay producers, Phil and Annette Howie, have implemented an impressive range of land-protecting farming measures since buying Maneroo Station in the Douglas-Daly.

Their award-winning techniques include rotational cell-grazing to rest pastures, and no-till hay production to reduce erosion and loss of soil moisture so that the plants thrive in healthier soils.

The 5200 ha Maneroo borders the Daly River and presently runs 800 cows and 1000 steers, heifers and younger stock.

Under the cell-grazing system, the cattle are rotated to new pastures every 60 days.

“The biggest advantage from the measures we’ve implemented is the improvement in our pastures,” Phil says. “We have been able to increase our carrying capacity because the pasture root system is so much stronger, which has led to healthier plants.

If you continue graze your stock in the same paddocks, the pastures don’t get a chance to rest and rejuvenate.

“The benefits for our cattle operation are that our stock can graze on fresh pastures in the dry, and that we can increase our stocking rates in the wet.”

The Howies were convinced to start cell-grazing after attending a Grazing for Profit workshop in Katherine and follow-up sessions dealing with applied grazing.

Phil and Annette travel to Queensland regularly to meet with fellow farmers, hear from expert presenters, and debate everything from reducing overheads to carbon grazing, as part of their involvement with Executive Link.

As farmers, the Howies enjoy the agreeable Top End climate and the opportunity to diversify into different areas - like cattle, hay and seed production all on the same property.

Maneroo is owned by the family company, P & A Howie and Sons. Chris Howie shares his time between Maneroo and wife Amanda Herrod’s family’s Katherine Brahman stud. The Howie’s other son Gavin is a mechanic and daughter Geraldine is married to a farmer in Katanning, in southwest WA.

Source: Kerry Sharp