AS CLAIMS to fame go, running the biggest broad-scale agricultural business in southeast Victoria is a credible bragging right.
Yet young manager Michael Bannon and his team of six staff are less interested in talk, and more intent on action, to ensure the business runs at its peak.
It takes dedication and teamwork to farm an area of 12,500ha, supporting 2500 cattle, 3000 Merinos and 1330ha of crops.
Michael has been farm manager for Gippsland Water's 12 properties for the past six years.
And although he has experienced tumultuous times, with some of the worst seasons on record, he says the experience has provided valuable knowledge and opened new pathways.
He says the future of the business is in mixed farming, with a strong emphasis on cereal cropping and grains.
He believes the Gippsland grain market is lucrative, under-pinned by the local dairy industry, and potentially worth millions of dollars to the farming industry and rural communities.
Figures from the dairy industry alone indicate $470,000 a day - or $170 million a year - leaves Gippsland in dairy feed costs.
"I found this figure staggering," Michael said.
"It doesn't take too many long days feeding livestock before one starts to wonder how you can get a piece of that."
And although the potential to value-add to the dairy industry is huge, the benefits of integrating a cropping program are also shining through, particularly in times of drought.
The cropping program on the biggest of the 12 properties, Dutson Downs, between Longford and Golden Beach, now incorporates 1000ha of cereals, plus 330ha of lupins and canola.
"We have been slowly building the cropping program because we can see more of a future in that for us," Michael said.
"With no autumn or spring this year we are down to 700 breeders, so the dry years are really making us rethink our program."
Of the 12,500ha owned by Gippsland Water, 5000ha is farmed, 1000ha is under timber plantation and the balance is native vegetation.
The properties are spread from Maffra and Stratford in central Gippsland to Drouin further west, and include five waste-water treatment plants licensed by the Environment Protection Authority.
Michael said waste was transferred to a series of lagoons, ranging from 20 to 2000 megalitres, to be treated before being classed and stored as reclaimed water for irrigation.
The reclaiming process can take 60-90 days, and when it's ready the water is used to irrigate pastures for stock.
Gippsland Water has also started a recycled composting system, where treated waste- water sludges are mixed with other organic materials and municipal green waste to produce good-quality compost.
It is still in the trial phase and includes various methods, such as in-vessel composting, which increases airflow and accelerates the process from six weeks down to 10 days.
Michael said the composting process was strictly regulated by the Environment Protection Authority, met Australian standards and was managed correctly to ensure a full weed and pathogen kill.
The compost has already been successfully integrated this year in an irrigated maize crop, and if trials are successful the compost could be marketed.
"It is the integrated nature of the business that makes it work so well," Michael said.
Having water available to irrigate crops is a luxury anywhere. At Dutson, Michael expects to have 1000-1200 megalitres of water to use within the next few years.
He has been looking at crops that fit the irrigation mix, and maize has "exceeded expectations".
"We thought if we can get 10t/ha it will be worthwhile and we got 15.9t/ha," Michael said.
The organic compost is also used on the 6ha maize crop, and acts like a slow-release fertiliser.
"That suits our country because it's sandy and we can lose a lot of nutrients through leaching, and the compost helps hold water too," he said.
The maize, which was planted in October, got flattened and blasted by a one-off 60mm of rain last November, but managed to bounce back.
It was watered every second day during the summer, and was harvested in April.
"In Gippsland the constraint is that it doesn't dry in the field, so we have to dry it in a hired drying bin," Michael said.
Maize is a sought-after feed for dairy cows.
Michael's long-term aim is to refine the cropping technique for maximum production.
"If you can grow a crop like maize you don't need to grow so many other crops, because the gross margins are so good," he said.
Double cropping, which involves planting summer and winter crops on the same site, is also on the agenda at Dutson.
But there are potential yield risks in the maize crop that need to be ironed out.
"Corn compares to wheat in terms of price, but under irrigation the production of corn is double," Michael said.
Wheat, barley and triticale are also produced with yields varying from 2.5t/ha to 3.5t/ha, and hopes of reaching 4t/ha should the good seasons return.
"We have been able to expand quickly and trial a lot because we can rely on our bread and butter, the cattle, which still provide an income," Michael said.
He said there was no such thing as a failed crop, because it could be cut for fodder for livestock.
Almost 2000 tonnes of silage were produced last year, and 800 tonnes will be made this year.
Michael said growing cereal crops would always be a niche industry for Gippsland, because of the demand for dairy feed.
"We can grow feed grain here and get $30-$40 a tonne more than anywhere else, because of the transport costs associated with buying that grain in," he said.
Michael has big visions for the future of cropping in Gippsland.
He says for many years forecasters have predicted significant growth in the global demand for grain.
"Our population is growing, our land and water is constrained, our climate appears to be changing and farmers must produce more with less," Michael said.
"Anyway you look at it, the opportunities for grain growers in Gippsland are huge.
"What would growers in other parts of the state give to be guaranteed an on-farm price $30 to $40 (a tonne) on top of the prevailing Melbourne landed rate?"
Michael said one thing was certain about the future in Gippsland.
"Others are going to want what we have got - land, water and, potentially, carbon," he said.
