Legend alarm on the podcast! We are happy to welcome the Haggerty’s family, Ian and Dianne, together with their son Matthew, on the podcast sharing their 30+ year journey- from being considered the hippie weirdos to leading a movement in Western Australia- showing that you can absolutely farm regeneratively at scale, in this case over 60,000 acres, with deep regeneration. Leading regenerative farmer and co-founder of Natural Intelligence Farming (NIF), the Haggertys’ farm is a living example of a harmonious alignment of soil, plant, animal, and human microbiomes in farm ecosystems.
They regularly take on new land, but only if they feel the land wants and needs them to manage it. In other words, they don’t go looking for land, the land finds them. Often this land is extremely degraded, and they bring it back to life with the help of sheep, whose gut microbiome kickstarts regeneration, followed by well-integrated annuals.
We talk about how fundamental it is to allow anything that wants to grow to grow in a brittle environment. They don’t have the luxury of discussing the concept of weeds: anything that can stay green and alive, with living roots in the soil pumping out exudates during the brutal hot summer months, is welcome.
We also dive into the different water cycles they are influencing and how these have even affected local rainfall. Of course, we unpack the massive mindset shift that is fundamental in the regenerative transition, vibrations, quantum agriculture, and rebuilding local supply webs. We cover it all.
This episode is part of the Role of Animals in food and agriculture systems of the future series, supported and co-produced by the Datamars Sustainability Foundation.
Deep in the remote landscapes of Western Australia, three hours northeast of Perth, the Haggerty family has pioneered an agricultural revolution that’s capturing global attention. What began as a modest 1,600-acre farm purchased with a $100,000 deposit has evolved into a 60,000-acre regenerative operation that defies conventional wisdom.
They fundamentally reimagine the relationship between humans and land. “The land finds us,” they explain, describing how they only take on new properties when they can feel the land wants them there. This isn’t metaphorical – the Haggertys have walked away from potential purchases after just minutes on a property, sensing intuitively it wasn’t right for them.
But perhaps most remarkable is their vision beyond the farm gate. The Hegartys aren’t just growing commodities – they’re producing food with integrity, building shortened supply chains, and creating opportunities for more people to reconnect with the land. They incorporate indigenous wisdom, having walked ancient songlines with First Nations elders, and blend cutting-edge technology with profound respect for natural systems developed over millions of years.
WHAT INNER MINDSET SHIFT IS NEEDED FOR REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
The conversation highlights that moving away from an industrial, control-based mindset is fundamental. Success requires a shift to humility, seeing oneself as a part of nature rather than its commander and operating with love, respect, and gratitude for the ecosystem.
“The whole approach to farming here for us is one based on love, respect, and gratitude. And I’d also like to put in humility there. And reciprocity… we have learnt so much from all the other organisms within our environment, and we’ve realised that we are just partakers; we are not the leaders by any means.” Dianne Haggerty
“When you’re towing a 70-foot bar, doing 25 hectares an hour or something like that, it’s about using those modern tools of trade to the best of our ability. So, using all the modern stuff, but bringing it back to the most basic forms of natural land management.” Ian Haggerty
HOW THE HAGGERTY’S KNOW WHICH LAND TO FARM NEXT ON AND HOW THE LAND COMES TO THEM
The family explains that they don’t actively seek out new land. Instead, opportunities present themselves, and they rely on a deep, intuitive connection to the landscape to decide if a property is right for them, often feeling a clear signal from the land itself.
“We actually find the land comes to us, the opportunity comes to us, and then that land– it’s probably a bit strange to say– but that land is actually talking to you, and soon it tells you what it wants and how it goes and whether you actually should be there or not.” Ian Haggerty
”Because it was not an expected plan at all, but yes, it has embraced us, but also the minute we put the sheep on it, the sheep will absolutely flourish, and we can see instantly that’s the place that we are meant to be because the animals do so well; whatever history it may have, they let us know very clearly that this is where we’re meant to be.” Dianne Haggerty
WHY THEY WOULD INVEST IN ACCESS TO LAND FOR YOUNG FARMERS
Ian identifies the massive financial barrier for new entrants who haven’t inherited land. He argues for a systemic change in how farms are financed, suggesting that large institutions and super funds should invest in regenerative agriculture to open up opportunities for the next generation.
“Just because you don’t inherit a farm, and the way it is these days, it means if you don’t inherit a farm and you just come from a standard family around, you’ve probably got no hope at all of actually going farming unless you just go and work on a farm. I’d be looking at putting systems in place where that can open opportunities up so you can actually not be born into a farm and you can end up being a very successful farmer.” Ian Haggerty
”I would spend time trying to change that narrative of where it’s going because I’m a farmer; I go and buy the farm next door. I’m paying between 8 and 9% interest because I’m a farmer on an isolated farm. I go to work for a big multinational supermarket, and I’m the manager of the supermarket, and I buy a house down in the city. I’ll probably pay 3.8. Big difference, and we’re producing food.” Ian Haggerty
WHAT ROLE DO ANIMALS, SPECIFICALLY SHEEP, PLAY IN REGENERATING SOILS?
Their approach to brittle environments with minimal rainfall (around 200mm annually) turns conventional agriculture upside down. Rather than seeing “weeds” as competitors for precious moisture, they welcome any plant that maintains living roots during brutal summer months. Their sheep serve as microbiome transporters, carrying beneficial soil organisms to newly acquired degraded land, kickstarting regeneration without any transitional period of synthetic inputs. This integration of livestock, diverse plants, and soil microbes creates a self-reinforcing system that builds resilience against increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
The Haggerty’s describe their sheep as crucial educators and partners in regeneration. The animals are not just livestock but are essential for transporting microbes, cycling nutrients, and responding to the health of the landscape, which in turn informs the farmers’ practices.
“They’re such great educators, and to be able to see and learn how the health benefits have come to them by being able to access a biodiverse diet and microbial system… they’re an integral part of spiralling upwards as opposed to spiralling downwards. Our transporters of microbiome around a landscape and plants and microbes in the soil respond to that.” Dianne Haggerty
The results speak for themselves. During the devastating drought of 2023, when rainfall was even lower than the infamous 2002 drought that nearly bankrupted them, the Haggartys’ crops and animals thrived. They’ve documented increases in rainfall patterns on their property, with areas that historically missed rain now receiving consistent precipitation. Salt-affected lands have been transformed as freshwater lenses develop, allowing perennial plants to establish where nothing grew before.
THE GUT MICROBIOME AND SOIL MICROBIOME ARE SO INTERCONNECTED AND CRUCIAL IN HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS
Matthew draws a direct line from soil health to human health, explaining that humans have evolved to consume food grown in healthy, microbially rich ecosystems. The quality of our food, and thus our gut health, is entirely dependent on the health of the soil microbiome.
“Our entire human health is dependent on the food that we eat and our gut microbiome, which is completely directly related back to our soil health and our soil microbiome… we haven’t been evolved to consume these highly modified products… but if we can go back and produce food the way nature has evolved for food to be produced and utilise those natural systems, it’s going to have a major impact on our human health.” Matthew Haggerty
OTHER POINTS DISCUSSED
Koen, Dianne, Ian, and Matthew also talked about:
- Regenerative agriculture absolutely works at large scale
- Water cycle and landscape hydration
- Bank partnerships and financial support
- Indigenous knowledge
LINKS:
- Natural Intelligence Farming website
- Natural Intelligence Farming Instagram
- Retelling the story of humans and nature – Damon Gameau – TED
LINKED INTERVIEWS:
- Walter Jehne – Stop talking about carbon emissions and focus on restoring the water cycle
- Chris Henggeler – Standing on the shoulders of giants (Savory, Ingham, Provenza) and managing over 77000 hectares in remote Australia
- Tony Lovell, how the $ 100M SLM fund handled the six driest years on record
- Elaine Ingham on why healthy soils don’t need rotations
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The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.