Cindy and Steve Scott, Glen Elgin

Cindy and Steve Scott, run a 2400 hectare cattle breeding enterprise near Henty in the NSW Riverina region. The property has been in Steve’s family since the the 1870s and Steve reflects on how much things have changed since his grandfather’s time on the farm. “So whilst he was actively clearing, two generations later we’re actively planting,” remarks Steve.

In addition to the obvious benefits of providing windbreaks and shade corridors for the stock, Cindy and Steve also see their shelterbelts as having an important biosecurity role. “It also gives us biosecurity protection zones around the farm if we’ve got a 30 metre corridor between our livestock and potentially someone else’s livestock,” says Steve.

Cindy and Steve have also put great effort into restoring habitat on their farm for squirrel gliders. They’ve installed more than 40 nest boxes across the property and have been delighted to discover gliders are now happily occupying some of these. They are also protecting large, old paddock trees and planting new ones. “It certainly heightened our awareness about the importance of paddock trees as stepping stones in the environment for the squirrel gliders, as well as other animals,” says Cindy.

The Scott’s have welcomed the ecological monitoring that the Sustainable Farms team have been undertaking on their property. “It’s fantastic… We get all this lovely data,” enthuses Cindy. “Learning so much!” says Steve.