Sustainability is not a dirty word in agriculture argues Hunter Valley grazier and Angus cattle breeder Robert MacKenzie.

“It’s not about being a greenie or a conservationist, it’s just about wanting to do better,” Robert explains. “It’s actually going to bed at night knowing that we are farming every day for the future. We’re managing and protecting current assets for continuous capital growth for our investments.”

Sustainable practices on the 6500-hectare MacKenzie property, with its family heritage dating back to 1884, have improved productivity and profit in recent seasons while producing an excess of carbon credits.  And the MacKenzies are keen to share Macka’s Australian Black Angus experiences; Robert’s presentations this year include the Norco Primex field days at Casino in two weeks' time.

“Part of our commitment to the beef industry is to just to tell our story and let people know that sustainability is achievable and in some ways equals profitability,” Robert says. “We want to support others, show what worked for us, how it worked, and hopefully give other producers the confidence to start on a sustainable journey.”

In March 2025, Macka’s Pastoral sold 550 carbon-neutral cows; emissions created in cattle production from electricity, diesel, fertiliser and animal methane were offset by the property’s bank of carbon credits. The property outside Gloucester in New South Wales’ mid-north today has a surplus of credits from sequestering carbon, credits to be kept, sold or traded.

Robert said the initial approach to more sustainable agriculture, changing visions, is not difficult. “First, you need to understand what your baseline is and focus on the small parts of your operation that are achievable to reduce your footprint. 

“That can start with the first purchase of the day; I’m going to be more mindful of buying a car that gives me 10 kilometres more per litre than the previous car. The tractor or the truck I’m purchasing this year, does it have Ad Blue, a Euro 6 engine? Do I disconnect that power cord from that electric fence and buy a solar panel unit?”

The fourth-generation cattleman suggests that once started on the journey, it becomes easier to look more broadly, make more conscious decisions to do better. All property management and production needs to be considered.

“Everything comes into it. Do we plant some trees next to the dam? Do we fence off that creek? Do we make it that the animal walks less to get a drink of water? Does it mean we preg-test our animals and make sure we only have productive animals in the operation?”

Cattle genetics has played a large part in Macka’s Pastoral’s carbon-neutral planning and its 3500 commercial Angus cows and 500 stud cows. Robert believes no one has invested more heavily in genetics in the past five years _ one heifer costing $140,000, one bull costing $360,000 plus ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’ on embryos and semen from Scotland’s Rawburn Aberdeen Angus for animals with shorter breeding cycles, better fertility and faster growth.

The Mackenzie’s have learnt that multiple grass species can sequester carbon and that sequestering carbon is like free fertiliser, feeding micro and bio organisms into the soil which helps produce healthy grasses. “It goes back to you are what you eat. In our case you are what you eat, eats. Healthy soil, healthy grass, healthy pasture means healthy animals.”

Macka’s Pastoral’s principals understood that if the operation was headed down the sustainable path, and made bold claims about being carbon neutral, it needed back-up data. Since 2017, more than 1400 soil samples are taken each year, and the property’s soil carbon levels are up.

“So sustainable practices are cost-effective,” says Robert. “We’ve increased our soil carbon, we’re holding 160,000 litres more water per hectare. We’re seeing with these changes, and better pasture management, we’re getting a better salad bowl of choices for our cattle, so they’re now weighing heavier. That means we’re selling them earlier and quicker, and that means we’re getting a better return for our money.”

Robert will head to Casino’s Norco Primex field days from May 15 to further spread his knowledge of sustainable agricultural processes.

The NSW North Coast’s largest agricultural trade show incorporates a range of exhibits, presentations and demonstrations from farm machinery to specific industry functions and rural services. The 2025 event is themed ‘Our Future in Farming’ and includes a livestock panel discussion with Robert Mackenzie, former Meat and Livestock managing director Jason Strong and young agricultural advocate Zoe Taylor.

For more information, head to primex.net.au or go to the Primex Field Days button on the Lismore App front page.