IN THE NEWS
In 2021, Meat & Livestock Australia produced a series of videos highlighting how Jigsaw has becoming environmentally sustainable and carbon neutral. The videos were released as a component of the ‘Good Meat Australia’ campaign.
Further information about this campaign can be found at here.
AgTech…So What? Podcast 100th Episode
100th Episode Special: Soil Carbon & the Future of Agtech
For their 100th episode, the “Ag Tech…So What?” brought back some of their most popular guests to check in on what’s changed in their businesses and in ag tech since they spoke, and the new technologies and opportunities we can all be looking out for.
These guests were:
Mark Wootton - dubbed the ‘carbon neutral farmer,’ Mark is a pioneer in measuring natural capital… yet, he’s also highly sceptical of the regenerative agriculture movement.
Stu Austin - manager of Wilmot Cattle Co, which recently secured a landmark deal to sell $500,000 worth of soil carbon credits to Microsoft.
Sarah Mock - sometimes controversial, but always well-researched in her views, Sarah is an agricultural journalist and author, who just released a book examining what makes a ‘good farm’
Derek Norman - VP of venture investment at Leaps by Bayer, Derek shares the latest on emerging technologies in ag tech, including in fertilizer and soil carbon.
The podcast is available on both Spotify and Apple podcast apps, and via above link.
Jigsaw Farms Tour for Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Conference
To celebrate Australia, through ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research), hosting the 10th Annual Council Meeting of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, farms were visited around Australia to see what they are doing on-farm to reduce emissions. A video tour of Jigsaw Farms was presented at the conference in Canberra in March 2021.
Jigsaw Farms Segment on “Fight for Planet A: Our Climate Challenge”
In 2020, Jigsaw Farms featured on Craig Reucassel’s “Fight for Planet A: Our Climate Challenge” discussing Jigsaw’s production of carbon neutral red meat. The show originally air on ABC TV in August 2020. The segment can be viewed via the following link: https://1drv.ms/v/s!AkbQG0W0CgeWj3a4n7UgsCmFoXn1?e=3x9ZLV .
AgTech…So What? Podcast
Regen Ag Series #1: Mark Wootton on carbon-neutral farming at Jigsaw Farms (16 July, 2020)
From AgTech...So What? Podcast: Mark Wootton is well-known in the Australian agriculture industry as a pioneer in carbon-neutral farming. In 2011, Jigsaw Farms, his family property in south-west Victoria, achieved carbon neutrality - undergoing a process he openly admits was at the time, both "arduous and not necessarily commercially rewarding".
Yet, Mark and his wife Eve Kantor operate a very successful mixed grazing farm where they run 20,000 sheep for fine wool and prime lamb as well as 500 cows. The farm also incorporates a 600 hectare hardwood timber plantation and indigenous plantings for biodiversity.
Mark was instrumental in the creation of the Climate Institute - a not-for-profit focused on climate science and policy in Australia. He remains a champion of finding new ways to lower methane emissions on farms - through both feed efficiencies and new technologies.
His latest venture is a "Super Ewe" - where he's using genetics to create a dual purpose sheep through focusing on muscle and fat in the selection process.
In this episode Mark Wootton shares his insights on:
• Using Sheep Freeze Brand (liquid nitrogen) as an alternative to mulesing.
• Turning sustainable agriculture practices into a driver for productivity and profits.
• The importance of flexibility in farming operations.
• Finding the right times to make big decisions for your business.
From ABC Landline: Globally, the livestock industry is believed to contribute about 14 per cent of human-related greenhouse gas emissions.
On Mark Wootton's farm near Hamilton, in western Victoria, carbon neutrality is not just a goal — it is a reality. Despite the massive scale of his operation — 500 cows and 20,000 ewes running across more than 3,300 hectares — Mr Wootton and his wife Eve Kantor achieved carbon neutrality in 2010.
From ABC News: A long-touted alternative to surgical mulesing will be available commercially this season after more than 10 years of development. The process, developed by veterinarian John Steinfort, involves using liquid nitrogen to freeze off skin wrinkles, similar to the way doctors remove warts.
Mark Wootton from Jigsaw Farms, also near Hamilton, has been trialling steining for two seasons. "There was an animal welfare concern and we did see that on the horizon there was going to be an issue [with marketing wool for mulesed sheep]," he said. "We could also see from an economics point of view that the weight gain was advantageous.” Mr Wootton said the results had far exceeded his expectations. "We would never look back to be honest and we're very optimistic that it was the right call," he said.
From ABC Landline: An inventive vet may have found an alternative to the controversial practice of sheep mulesing. Instead of cutting away skin from around the tail to prevent fly-strike, the area is frozen using liquid nitrogen which stops wool from growing.
Carbon the right fit for Jigsaw Farms (July 2019)
From Farm Online: The environmental dynamic duo; Mark Wootton and wife Eve Kantor are designing their farm system with an eye on 2030 climate projections.
Earlier this year, the University of Melbourne released a report observing the processes involved and benefits of Jigsaw Farms becoming carbon neutral in 2010.