Coming from 25 years working in the mining and healthcare industries, it has taken a few years for Brett and Tanya Hazelden to get their heads around being farmers.
But it is a challenge the pair are enthusiastically embracing.
Their goal is to use the latest agricultural research and development to become a commercially successful, modern sheep and carbon farm using regenerative practices.
Regenerative agriculture is a 21st century, scientific way of farming - taking an ecological approach to achieve profitable production along with looking after the natural capital of a property, its soils, water, vegetation and wildlife.
By adopting regenerative principles and practices, the Hazelden's has become only the second farm in their region to be registered for a soil carbon project through the Australian Federal Government's Emission Reduction Fund.
Not to be overwhelmed, they are implementing tactics slowly - based on both research outcomes and local knowledge from surrounding farmers.
The pair's self-described 'diamond in the rough' property, Blackwood River Farm, took years to find and is on the Blackwood River in Warner Glen, about 30 kilometres south east of Margaret River.
It spans 80 hectares, has plentiful water from multiple dams and soaks and there is a creek line running to the Blackwood River.
A 120 million litre water licence from the dams allows 9.5ha to be irrigated during summer.
This is high rainfall country, with an average 1005 millimetres recorded in the gauge each year.
The Hazeldens moved to Blackwood River Farm in 2020 after Mr Hazelden decided to finish his long career in the mining industry as a metallurgist and chemist.
"It was a weary farm and we were a bit overwhelmed about where to start," Mr Hazelden said.
He said it was therefore crucial to go down the regenerative agriculture path, having a whole farm plan and good mapping from the start.
The initial focus was to get the soil health right, as this is the key driver of all productivity on the property.
Lime, dolomite and some specific nutrients were applied.
The effectiveness of these ameliorants is being closely monitored and managed every year based on detailed soil and plant tissue testing.
Then it was on to the pastures.
These needed to be rejuvenated to remove weeds and reeds and add new species for diversity.
Cool season multispecies are now sown in autumn and warm season multispecies are sown in spring.
This includes deep rooted perennials and legumes to sequester carbon.
Drainage was also needed to prevent pastures being sodden and unusable all winter.
The next phase of the plan is to extend green pasture duration using perennial seed mixes to minimise supplementary feeding of sheep during summer.
Creek lines and major wet areas are slowly being revegetated with trees, shrubs and reeds to improve livestock shelter and biodiversity.
Improved drainage and water management are vital to success, Mr Hazelden said.
Gradually the 1300-head sheep flock on Blackwood River Farm is being converted from Border Leicester-Merino crosses to a shedding base, with no shearing or tailing required.
This means no shearers are needed and they don't have to mules - cutting costs and improving animal welfare.
Twenty paddocks have been created with new fencing to enable a higher stock density with better rotational grazing tactics.
"We need to get stock levels right, then we can work on our rotational grazing systems across the seasons," Mr Hazelden said.
"But now we have a whole farm plan that we can follow to help us take the right steps at the right time.
"It will be a slow process that encompasses soil health and resilience and regenerative grazing management."
Mr Hazelden said regenerative farming was not that different from traditional farming and the aim was to get soils and biodiversity right.
He said they were using up to 10 types of perennial and annual pasture species, including field peas, chickory, plantain, clovers, fescues, radish, brassicas, cereals, vetch, linseed and ryegrass.
"It is wholistic in terms of growing the plants that the soil and livestock need," he said.
Regenerative grazing has involved implementing the advice of grazing experts about soil quality, feed loads and paddock structure.
This has resulted in reorganising paddock sizes and grazing stock densities.
As part of the holistic farm planning process, the Hazeldens identified opportunities to increase soil organic carbon levels to help build soil health, improve biological activity, maximise vegetation throughout the year and increase soil water holding capacity.
"An added benefit is that you can potentially make money too with carbon credits," Mr Hazelden said.
"But who knows if we will make any money from carbon credits.
"These are a secondary benefit to soil improvements that come from having more carbon, which flows on to having better pastures from which the sheep will benefit.
"At this stage there is no premium prices for our sheep having been raised on a carbon farm, but that is something that may also eventuate in the future."
Mr Hazelden said they had been considering working towards becoming carbon neutral and almost organic sheep producers.
He said they had not sprayed pesticides for many years and, if needed, they use biologically-based products.
The use of more biostimulants and biofertilisers to reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers is a key goal for 2024, along with potentially direct marketing their lamb to the public.
A farm stay is also on the cards in the future too.
Another challenge is regenerating creek areas and continuing a tree planting program that has already resulted in more than 12,000 plants sown around the creek and dam areas of the property.
