Hi, I’m Emily Coggan and I’m part of the team at Coggan Farms, a vertically integrated generational family farm based near Inglestone in Southwest Queensland. Inglestone is an hour and a half north of Goondiwindi.
We farm 22,000 hectares and our primary focus is our cropping program, both dryland and irrigated. In addition, we run a multi-species feedlot operation with both beef and lambs as well as supporting breeding operations, which includes a Meatmaster Stud. We irrigate 760 hectares, including a 360-hectare lateral move, giving us flexibility across our cropping program and stability in drier times. We average around 24-26 inches of rain each year, and this season has been kinder to us than to some of our friends further south. We’re making the most of it while we can.
I farm with my parents and brother, and while my sister is currently off farm, she works in an agricultural role and stays closely involved. We also have an incredible team of around 20 staff who all live on farm due to our location. The nearest traffic light is 2.5 hours away in Dalby.
Right now, we’re harvesting late season sorghum, finishing the build of a new fertiliser shed, and keeping the feedlot running at full steam. One thing I’m really excited about is the arrival of a new SwarmFarm “Dock and Refill” station, which will further enhance the labour and time efficiency for our two SwarmFarm Robots.
Profitable sustainability is a focus area for us at Coggan Farms. Being a vertically integrated operation, we use manure waste from the feedlot to improve our cropping soils. We also use biologicals in our sowing program and aim to reduce freight wherever we can - it’s good for the bottom line and better for the environment.
I was fortunate to be selected to participate in GrainGrowers' OnBoard program this year, and I cannot recommend it enough. Continuous learning is a core value in our business and OnBoard has been a great way for me to build skills and connect with others in the industry across the country. I applaud GrainGrowers for supporting leadership and capacity building across our industry.
Rural communities are crucial to farming and we couldn’t do what we do at our farm without our people. In our local area, we are fortunate to have the Inglestone Golf Club, Flinton Race Club, and local pub, which each provide a valuable place of connection with others in the region.
I’m proud to be an Australian grower because we’re innovative, resilient and we get on with the job, without relying on subsidies like other countries we compete with. Closer to home, being part of a family farming enterprise that began 88 years ago and has evolved over the generations into what it is today, is something I hold dear.