Local Narromine farmer Bruce Maynard has been celebrated nationally for championing new and innovative practices in agriculture. 

Mr Maynard received the highest honour at the National Landcare Awards dinner, where he was announced as the 2022 Bob Hawke Landcare Award winner. 

As the inventor of the No Kill Cropping System, initiator of the Constructive Farming Cooperative, champion for Stress Free Stockmanship competencies and pioneer of a new field of animal behavioural science called Self Herding alongside Dr Dean Revell, Mr Maynard has built himself an impressive resume.

Mr Maynard says that it’s the future that drives him. 

“I have a heartfelt desire to improve the situation for the community and landscape and those two things are inextricably intertwined. Being from Narromine you want to survive and thrive, it’s no bigger than all the other small communities through Australia,” Mr Maynard said. 

While sustainability is seemingly always top of the discussion list for agriculture, Mr Maynard said he has seen a trend change for the better in the region. 

“We have a very direct role that isn’t just about what’s in our boundaries but to assist and benefit the whole community, or we can drive it the other way depending on what systems we utilise.”

The No Kill Cropping Systems has become renowned in agriculture and land management groups as a unique and revolutionary technique that allows farmers to change easily and quickly between grazing and cropping in the same paddock.

With his assortment of practices to promote sustainability, Mr Maynard has become a legend for Landcare groups, according to Minister for Agriculture Murray Watt. 

“The 200,00-odd trees and 350,000 shrubs Bruce has planted on his own property have inspired visiting Landcare and community groups and stand as monuments to his unwavering commitment to sustainable land management,” Mr Watt said. 

“Whether they be to improve land, soils, vegetation, or animal welfare, our agricultural practices impact everyone. Bruce’s scalable, forward-thinking approach to agriculture is exactly what we need to build resilience and improve environmental and community outcomes,” he said. 

The winner of the Bob Hawke Landcare Award is presented with a prize package to the value of $50,000 for further development of their knowledge and skills in sustainable land management to enable an even stronger contribution to landcare. 

According to Mr Maynard, extending the use of the No Kill Cropping System and pursuing advances in stress free stockmanship and self herding remain at the top of his priorities.