Jamie and Josie Jackson
Property: 'Tallawong', Willalooka, South Australia

Jamie and Josie Jackson’s property Tallawong is located in the Upper South East of South Australia. With an average rainfall of approximately 500 mm/yr, the 763 ha property produces 1st cross lambs, with a flock of 1600 sheep and maintains a small herd of cattle.

Since taking over the family farm in 1983, at the time a tired property which had been extensively cleared and had erosion and waterlogging issues and signs of salinity, Jamie and Josie Jackson have transformed Tallawong into an environmentally sustainable farming business.

As part of a manageable long term revegetation and rehabilitation of the property, they have established on average 2ha of trees every year for over 20 years and now have a property of interconnecting shelterbelts, rehabilitated wetlands, high pruned timber blocks, broombrush plantations, tagasaste and fenced off native vegetation integrated into their grazing enterprise, all without reducing the stock carrying capacity.

The increased vegetation has enhanced biodiversity, amended waterlogging issues, thus increasing productivity over the winter and spring months, erosion is no longer an issue on the sandy rises and the threat of salinity has been reduced. There is also shelter now in all paddocks, which has resulted in lambing losses being substantially reduced, and farm income has been diversified from the sale of broombrush and timber products.

The Jacksons have done the vast majority of the revegetation works on Tallawong. They have collected or sourced seed, grown seedlings in their nursery or direct seeded with the use of Jamie’s purpose built direct seeder. In many cases the Jacksons have also been pioneers in the fields of direct seeding techniques, determining species suitability in the region and researching suitable herbicide prescriptions with natives.

Their success has inspired many farmers both locally and further afield to revegetate their properties and through their business – South East Direct Services the Jacksons have established hundreds of kilometres of vegetation in the Upper South East of South Australia.

Media Release:   SA Couple are Treefarmers of the Year,  67.02 Kb