![]() Some areas had been used to grow corn, potatoes and other crops, however the light granite soils of the property were not really suited to sustaining such high nutrient-requiring crops. Pasture improvement consisted of using herbicide to eliminate all species already present, complete cultivation, addition of superphosphate and nitrogenous fertilisers and then sowing with preferred pasture species, which were mainly annuals. However it was other challenges that the Chappells were initially up against upon taking ownership of Shannon Vale.Ĭhanging Practices THE WEEDS TELL A STORYīy the time the Greg and Sally bought the property it had been subject to many years of a conventional annual superphosphate and nitrogenous fertiliser program and regular pasture improvement. A high rate of weight gain must be maintained at all times so that bulls reach market weight within 24 months, while stocking rates must allow for the paddock space required to minimise interaction between the bulls. Bull breeding presents unique requirements for farm management. Today, Shannon Vale Station comprises a total of 1450 hectares and is managed solely to breed Angus bulls. Soils are transitional and weathered granite sand to sandy loams these are poorly structured, highly erodible and have a high rate of leaching so that nutrients can be lost quickly. Following fragmentation and many changes of ownership and use, Greg and Sally Chappell acquired the property in 2001.ĭue to the high elevation of around 1000 metres, summers at Shannon Vale are mild and winters cold temperatures can drop down to minus 17 degrees Celsius and snow is common. It is a remnant of a 250,000 hectare estate allocated in the 1820s to an officer of the New South Wales Corps, after whom the river was named. ![]() Shannon Vale Station is a gently undulating property with five kilometres of frontage to the Mann River. Pastures now out-compete the weed species and are capable of sustaining growth rates in the bulls of around one kilogram a day all year round. The Chappells experienced productivity increases after only two years. Using organic-based fertilisation targeted specifically to address soil nutritional deficiencies, Greg and Sally worked to create an environment that allowed pasture species to re-establish from dormant seed. Weeds including African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), nodding thistle (Carduus nutans), Chilean needle grass (Nassella neesiana), carpet grass (Axonopus spp.), rat’s tail fescue (Vulpia myuros), sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and St Johns wort (Hypericum perforatum) were proliferating under the previous management system at Shannon Vale, badly damaging productivity and profits. Although he had taught conventional agriculture at FMAHS, Greg’s experience on his original farm at Willow Tree made him realise that conventional methods weren’t sustainable, so he was already beginning to explore other methods of land management when faced with the weed challenge that emerged at Shannon Vale. ![]() When the business out-grew the farm they moved to a property at Moree and then, in 2001, to Shannon Vale Station. He and Sally then developed an Angus bull breeding business, initially at Willow Tree. Greg Chappell taught agricultural science at the Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School (FMAHS) for 13 years before taking up farming full-time.
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