I'm Sam Donaldson, and I farm with my family in Yallaroi, throughout the Gwydir region of New South Wales. I represent the fifth generation to work on our aggregation, alongside my parents, Scott and Ainslie, who continue to lead the business. My youngest brother, Will, works full-time on the farm with me, while my other brother, Jake, is a commodity broker who manages and coordinates our grain marketing and movements.
Will and I returned to the business within the past 12 months, and between us, we bring complementary strengths. My background is in corporate agricultural investment, while Will brings the deeper practical, on-farm expertise. We're both committed to broadening each other's capabilities, and at present that means absorbing as much as we can from everyone within the business.
This season has tested our resolve. Two months ago, conditions were extremely poor with rainfall records comparable to the 2018 and 2019 droughts. Fortunately, we received great rainfall and now hold close to a full soil moisture profile, and are running our complete winter cropping program, a welcome reversal of fortune.
Our typical crop rotation is two-thirds winter crop and one-third summer crop across our arable area. Today we grow a diverse rotation of cereals, legumes, canola, cotton and sorghum, each selected to strengthen soil health, manage seasonal risk and capitalise on opportunistic commodity prices while keeping a close watch on global markets and how conditions elsewhere might influence price. This is where Jake's expertise proves invaluable - he maintains a close read on external markets, and while we have no influence over global conditions, we can act decisively on his insight to make timely, well-informed decisions across the operation.
We're also exploring the integration of robotic camera spraying, aiming to reduce wheel tracks within the crop and curb chemical use - technology we understand has additional yield benefits. Alongside this, we're trialling alternative fertiliser strategies, including an intensive chicken manure program. Rather than relying solely on synthetic products such as urea and MAP, we're building soil fertility through targeted manure application, informed by soil mapping that has sharpened the precision of our fertiliser program. In future years, we aim to deliver significant yield throughout the utilisation of this approach.
My brothers and I are fortunate to have parents who remain progressive and receptive to new ideas. We encounter little resistance when we bring ambitious proposals to the table, Dad is often the one forwarding an article or video late at night, having stumbled across something novel himself. We discuss ideas as a family unit in a roundtable format, then assess whether each is the right fit for the business. It typically comes down to a rigorous cost-benefit analysis or a safety item: where the return on investment stacks up, we commit.
At present, we're in an expansion phase, working to define a strategic direction the whole family can stand behind. Each of us brings ideas and a shared appetite for efficiency, so the real challenge lies in pursuing that growth thoughtfully.
Beyond the farm, I'm completing GrainGrowers' Australian Grain Leaders Program this year. My project examines strategic decision-making within family businesses, including how to bring partners into the fold as the enterprise evolves - a subject that resonates closely with my own circumstances. My partner, Anna, a lawyer from Sydney, recently relocated to the farm, and with a baby due in two months, it's a significant chapter as we work through her integration into the family business.
I'd like to see greater diversity of background represented across this industry. I find real value in engaging with others in agriculture, whether they come from large-scale operations or considerably smaller ones - what matters most is a shared vision for where farming is heading. I'm drawn to people who think progressively about efficiency and how to refine their product, and I hold myself to that same standard within our own operation.
Above all, I take genuine pride in being a farmer and telling people I help produce food and fibre not only for Australia, but for the world. It is deeply rewarding work, and I remain grateful that my family has backed the next generation in returning to the business and carrying its legacy forward.