The quote goes: "Failure is not the opposite of success, it's part of the success".
And while Trent Anderson's first experiment with relay cropping at his Giffard property did not yield the results he hoped for, he is inspired by the opportunities he sees in the method.
"Relay cropping has the potential to be hugely beneficial for us, we've just got to get better at it," the sheep, beef and crop producer said.
"What we tried was an out-and-out failure but I've seen the possibilities.
"We learnt a lot, mostly what not to do."
Mr Anderson's experimental crop formed part of a larger trial run by the Gippsland Agricultural Group (GAgG) over summer, which aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness and profitability of relay cropping
It's a practice of avoiding fallow time, by sowing a second crop into an existing one.
It was trialled by GAgG members in paddocks at Orbost, Winnindoo and Forge Creek, as well as at the Gippsland Research Farm near Bairnsdale.
Mr Anderson's relay mix was a multispecies crop including clovers, radish, buckwheat, sunflowers and turnips, aerially seeded on November 20, which he said was "a bit late in the season".
The multispecies crop was sown by helicopter into 30 hectares of wheat stubble and also into 30ha of canola.
The crop didn't strike well at all in the canola and he estimates a strike rate of about 30% in the wheat.
Mr Anderson believes some of the reason for the patchy germination was due to the huge soil variation across the paddocks, as well as the lack of rainfall.
Before a rain event in April, the last decent rainfall was November 10.
"While we had little bits and pieces of rainfall, there was not one good soaking rain event," Mr Anderson said.
"We might have had three to five millimetres but there was no extended wet period for the seeds to get going.
"There was nothing to be seen in the canola stubble," he said.
"But we saw which species were more likely to germinate in difficult conditions, the best germinators were brassicas like rape, canola and tillage radish, the clovers and buckwheat."
However, Trent is "absolutely fired up" for another try next season, already planning to put in about 100 hectares or thereabouts.
"I'm really excited to have a real go, I'll still sow a multi-species crop, mostly clover and other small seeds like canola and turnips."
"We got a bit unlucky with the rain but you make your own luck," he said.
"We just sowed too late.
"Nine out of 10 times we have rain in winter but it's February/March when we need feed.
"It'd be huge if we can get that right.
"It's such a low-cost source of green feed - otherwise some paddocks spend five months sitting there doing nothing."
He remains philosophical about the failed experiment.
"Ah well, you have to learn what not to do somehow.
"I think if it's not sown, season depending, by mid-October we probably should think about shelving the plan.
"I'd say if you miss that window, pull the pin and do something else."
GAgG general manager, Jen Smith, said the relay cropping project offered wide-reaching benefits for Gippsland's farming community.
"Climate variability, soil degradation and depletion of natural resources are major challenges to agricultural crop production," Ms Smith said.
"Thanks to the Australian government's Future Drought Fund this relay cropping project has the potential to improve soil quality and increase net return, while fully utilising available soil resources and seasonal rainfall availability."
Ms Smith said one of the major aims of the project was to help local farmers "improve their ability to sustainably utilise their land and increase resilience in the face of the climate variability we experience in our region".
