Muster Dogs

How an Australian farming family chose regenerative practices over bare dirt and bull dust.

When the Spencer family farm seemed on the brink of collapse, graziers Renee Spencer and her sister Melissa decided it was time for radical change. They had become aware of terms such as 'cell grazing', 'sustainable', and 'holistic', and considered incorporating these concepts into their practices. Very soon, they saw results—but only on a local level. What was needed was a complete overhaul that included a dramatic shift in every aspect of their farming, including the study of soil, root systems, microbes, and—counterintuitively—the contributions that livestock make to the land.

Now, with over five years of regenerative practice under their belts, Renee and Melissa are eager to share their insights so that agriculturalists—whether in rural areas or suburban gardens—can work with their land, not against it. They aim to change the way we farm, eat, and think about our land.