Lambition finalist says on-farm changes have made a big difference

Mr Maher, who runs a mixed farming operation at Lubeck, Vic, is a finalist for the Sustainable Farmer of the Year awards.

He farms over three properties totalling 3000 hectares and runs 5700 breeding ewes.

Mr Maher said sustainability was more than just looking after the land and also involved being financially sustainable, having sustainable relationships through team members and family, and a sustainable workload.

He has made several changes to his business over time, such as using DNA testing to improve lamb percentages so the studs were all carrying twins.

Shearing is now carried out every six months and Mr Maher no longer uses a wool classer and instead relies on his shearers' evaluations.

When the shearing shed needed to be rebuilt, the shearers had input into the design.

He said the on-farm changes had meant more regular income streams, which had helped for forward planning.

"You can be sustainable but the first thing you've got to do is be financially sustainable," he said.

"And then family sustainable, getting on well with your family and your staff - giving the shearers responsibility falls into that.

"Then if you get that right, making the soil more sustainable by looking after it better."

Working huge hours for several weeks on end - such as during harvest - was another example of farming that was not sustainable either physically or mentally, he said.

Mr Maher has about 1000 hectares of crops and brings paddocks into the cropping cycle after 10 years of pasture.

He also has 2000 tones of on-farm storage.

He stopped burning stubble 17 years ago and uses direct drilling for sowing.

Mr Maher is also working with BioSystems to improve the cropping system and pasture and move away from relying on chemicals.

He has introduced holistic grazing to allow the sheep to be rotated more frequently, which meant any spilt grain or weeds would be grazed instead of sprayed.

He said improving soil health was a slow process.

"We happened to purchase just a lot of run-down grazing country and we've got to start from scratch," he said.

"I've got one block that's just about running at potential now - but it was bought in 2006."

Mr Maher also tried to use the farm's Instagram page to highlight the good work being done.

Attitudes within farming were changing and more people were questioning traditional practices and looking to make improvements, he said.

"I'm going to make a try, because I think I will leave the farm a better place by using that sustainable thinking," he said.

"Fighting nature means you've got to use bigger, stronger and more powerful [tools].

"I think when you try and control nature, it finds a way to come back and bite you.

"We're in it to create a better environment and we're working really hard at that.

"In the end it's a philosophy that's based on a bit of reading, with a bit of pride and a bit of economic value, and I'm hoping to make it work."