NEWS
Alejandro Carillo is a renowned leader in holistic management, and for good reason. Not only has he proven it possible to reverse desertification across the arid landscape of the Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico, but also to captivate audiences in every corner of the globe. Alejandro leaves each landholder, farmer, rancher, and pastoralist he crosses paths with a little more hopeful, a little more confident, and a little more knowledgeable. A little more prepared to cast an eye over an incomprehensibly large, degraded land mass and think, “Well, I’ll just start in that corner and see what I can do.”
That’s the message that Alejandro repeatedly came back to over the course of his visit to Gabyon Station on June 5, 2025, and the essence of this message sits at the core of Gemma Cripps’ decision to adopt a rotational grazing trial with virtual fencing on her Yalgoo property. You might think ‘starting small’ means starting with a handful of stock in the corner of a paddock the size of a suburban backyard. And for many, that’s exactly how it will look. But in stations terms, ‘starting small’ looks more like starting with 15,000 acres split into 40ha cells, and 172 cattle. Prior to heading out to see the trial for ourselves, we settled in under the tin roof of the Gabyon homestead to absorb every bit of wisdom Alejandro had to offer.
At the nexus of Alejandro’s philosophies, which are hard to argue with when presented with evidence of his own restoration efforts, is a respect for natural succession. Key to this is acknowledging that, regardless of perceived disparities between your own timeline and nature’s timeline, nature doesn’t waste resources, and is always trying to communicate something to you. “Let’s work towards what we do want, and let nature help us along the way,” was a phrase he repeatedly returned to, along with “Nature has its own way of fixing problems, and sometimes that way is control, alt, delete,” to demonstrate this point. Fire, for instance, can be nature’s response to a system so drastically altered beyond its natural state, that the only means of starting anew is by setting itself ablaze. Weeds, on the other hand, can be a an indication of how far off growing grass you are, and are often an entirely necessary step to move from bare ground to perennial groundcover. Weeds frequently present as a means of breaking up soil – addressing compaction by sending down taproots that access water, stimulate biological activity, provide groundcover, and create the aggregates that allow space in your soils for retaining moisture, nutrients, and sequestering carbon.
Alongside advocating for the ‘start small’ approach, Alejandro made a compelling case for using your most productive land for trials and experiments. He argued that this offers a better and more immediate return on investment, meaning growers are more likely to remain motivated and profitable during the slow transition process. Alejandro suggested dividing one area into multiple small cells, and aim not to graze the same area more than once a year. Your pasture conditions will tell you whether or not you can increase your stocking rates, and you can begin to increase the areas out from this patch as edge effects expand.
Alejandro likes to substitute ‘rotational grazing’ for ‘rational grazing’ to illustrate that management is nearly always the driver of pasture and livestock conditions. His firm belief in the key role that management plays in our systems was further underscored by his point that “Perennials not managed correctly will behave like annuals,” encouraging the pastoralists in attendance to consider whether they were creating the right conditions for pastures to thrive, while assuring the crowd that “It’s not about the rain you get, but the rain you keep.” Eventually, “Same grass, different management” was all he needed to say to receive an enthusiastic, understanding nod from the audience.
Another of Alejandro’s central tenets lies within his approach to genetics. “There should be a point where whatever genetics you can breed on your farm are better than whatever you can get in,” he insists, proposing a closed-herd approach for achieving this. A wealth of questions sprung from these remarks, with pastoralists querying how to select for strong genetics, and what numbers to work with. Alejandro’s own method involves selecting the bottom 2% of the herd each month – based on behvaiour, condition, and performance – and separating them from the primary herd (culling). Typically, these animals do not return to the herd, and are instead sold. “Be the shepherd and the predator,” he declared, explaining that by culling the bottom animals, your decision-making will no longer be dictated by the disproportionate needs of that small group, meaning resources like feed, water, vaccinations, and labour can instead be directed into high-performing cattle more likely to carry strong genes.
Brimming with new ideas and perspectives, participants were eager to view Gemma’s trial, so set out into the station after a satisfying lunch generously catered by Gemma’s mum, Helen. Our convoy of four-wheel drives, coated in layers of the red dirt synonymous with the rangelands, trailed behind Gemma until we pulled up behind a water truck which, for now, is the sole watering point for the trial herd. Here, we were met with a collection of Speckled Park cattle scattered among the ubiquitous snakebush, bluebush, saltbush, and curara. Each animal was adorned with a Gallagher collar, complete with solar panels on each side, and a connection to a couple of base stations and a vast network of virtual fences – the only thing keeping them from wandering off into the seemingly endless expanse of Gabyon. And they work! The animals have quickly adapted to a virtual fencing system, and are exhibiting noticeably calmer behaviour, moving into each new cell with ease as it opens up. Gemma is currently shifting the cattle weekly, noting that smaller cells seem more effective, and not allowing back-feeding (by keeping previously grazed cells closed) has promoted better condition and more even impact. The cattle seem to be using the full extent of each cell and grazing less selectively, and uncollared calves tend to stay with their mothers while having access the most nutritious feed before the rest of the herd. The system has proven less labour-intensive than traditional fencing, allowing for easier customisation and exclusion zones as land and cattle conditions shift.
Along with detailing the benefits of this system, Gemma graciously divulged the challenges she’s encountered – mobile network failures, uncollared cattle leading collared cattle astray, horn-induced injuries, and loose collars. Yes, securing bulky collars to 172 cattle with menacing horns and bunches of excess neck skin is about as punishing as it sounds, and was far from a hassle-free experience. But after a conventional system leading to degradation, volatility in the sheep market, physical fencing proving unviable, and total destocking failing to regenerate the landscape, Gemma is determined to unearth the potential of rotational cattle grazing in her rangelands system. And her neighbours are along for the ride, too. One of the most heartening parts of the Gabyon trip was meeting these rangelands pastoralists, a handful of whom have taken a holistic management course together and formed something of a community of practice, and all of whom are motivated by a desire to return the rangelands to a profitable, productive, life-filled landscape. Gemma’s ‘why the hell not’ approach to trailing a novel system means she’s accrued plenty of wisdom to pass on to these neighbours – let your cattle out into a confined space after you’ve fitted the collars so you can keep an eye on them while they go a bit nuts, test out your mobile coverage (extensively!) before selecting a trial site for virtual fencing, and see if you can get a grant before investing your own funds.
Returning to the homestead to share reflections and indulge in another of Helen’s feasts, our own learnings were echoed in the sentiments of the pastoralists in attendance. Feeling more confident to try something new and start in a small, productive patch was a frequently expressed key takeaway. Respect and admiration towards Gemma for having already done exactly that was proclaimed in equal measure. Several pastoralists indicated that they’d be investigating Alejandro’s closed herd and culling notions further, as well as the virtual fencing system, while others felt the workshop served to confirm that they were already on the right path with their own operations.
Our most sincere thank you goes out to Gemma & Helen for hosting, to Sarah Jeffery of Agricultural Horizons for her organisation of the event, Alejandro Carillo for making the trip to Gabyon to disseminate his own knowledge of restoring arid landscapes, as well as the engaged, enthusiastic, supportive participants who attended! We can’t wait to see what Gemma and her fellow pastoralists and farmers continue to discover along their regenerative journeys.
This event was supported by RegenWA’s Accelerating Regenerative Adoption project, through funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program. The event was further supported through funds from Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and Gemma Cripps of Gabyon Station.
