Hi, my name is Natasha Giles and together with my husband Bill, and our twin boys Jack and Tom - who will be the 6th generation on the property - farm around 4000 acres on the southern Yorke Peninsula around the townships of Yorketown, Edithburgh, Stansbury, Port Moorowie and Coobowie.
Agriculture has been the chief industry of the Yorke Peninsula (YP) since the early 1840’s. Home to the inventors of the stump jump plough in the 1870’s, which was later regarded as one of the most important agricultural inventions of the century, farmers on the YP have been at the forefront of innovative farming and have gathered in numbers since 1894 to trial new plant machinery at regional field days.
Today we mainly grow wheat and lentils as we find these crops typically perform well and deliver good yield in our growing conditions. Historically, we also grew barley and canola, however we have moved away from these crops in recent years. We continue to run a small mob of sheep when feed availability presents an opportunity to do so. Our soils are alkaline with limestone rock mixed through.
The average annual rainfall for our area is between 350mm - 400mm. This growing season we have recorded about 155mm.
Harvest started in the last couple of weeks, and we are currently reaping lentils challenged by the dry conditions exacerbated by continued frost events throughout the season.
Challenges we face as a family business in addition to the ever-growing expenses associated with general farming inputs, are the soaring land prices and high interest rates.We are also seeing the impact of conical snails becoming more of a problem.
What excites me most is seeing our boys take the reins and embrace industry advancements. They’ve grown up surrounded by technology, and now they’re applying their knowledge to improve the way we farm. They understand that farming isn’t just about working the land - it’s about working smarter, staying ahead of industry trends, and using the tools available to us to produce the highest-quality crops.
Our boys are bringing fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the farm.
It’s a combination of tradition and technology that makes me proud to be part of this industry. The same land that has been passed down through generations continues to provide, but it’s the new tools and systems we’ve adopted over the years that ensures we continue to produce the highest quality grains and thus stay at the forefront of global agriculture.
As a farmer, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of running a farm. But when I step back and look at how far we’ve come, I’m filled with optimism about the future. We have a new generation of farmers who are excited, knowledgeable, and ready to take our farm—and the industry—into the future.