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32 | OUR STORY: SWAN

Archie and David Swan began spreading fertiliser
in 1955. At the time there was a government
bounty scheme subsidising the cost of fertiliser to
An example of the Swan family’s ingenuity was encourage ag development in the Coorong area.
Archie Swan’s conversion of an ex-World War II Picture supplied
army tank to spread fertiliser on newly-cleared
land to avoid tyre punctures. Picture supplied

GPS navigation, which has enabled variable
rate application of fertiliser and even lime across
paddocks.
Soil testing is also taking the guesswork out of
the application rates.
“We are spreading twice as much in a day than
30 years ago,” Craig said.
Foray into farming

After driving around their clients’ farms for many
years, the Swan family had a strong desire to own A Swan Brothers AB 180 international fertiliser
some of their own land. spreader from 1978. Throughout the years the
That dream became a reality in 2005 with the family has developed a strong clientele in the
purchase of a 610-hectare farm at Cookes Plains. Mallee and Upper South East. Picture supplied
Craig admits their first mob of cattle and first
crop were a big learning curve.
After “giving it some love”, they sold the farm in
2010 and a year later, bought their first farm on The Swan’s dog Leo keeps a close eye on some of
the Narrung Peninsula - Sheoak Lodge. the seedlings being planted. Each year Swan Agri
At the time, the Millenium drought was biting plants 1500 to 2000 seedlings to help re-vegetate
hard with severe River Murray water restrictions. their properties and provide windbreaks for their
During the next decade, they were able to put cattle.
together four properties totalling 2025ha, which
they have significantly developed with laneways,
new yards and pasture renovation. which has been largely denuded from river boats
This includes 182ha of centre pivot irrigation felling much of the timber or clearing for farmland
sown to lucerne and ryegrass pastures or fescue, - again studded with vegetation.
chicory and white clover, which are mainly used to They are five years into planting tree corridors for
grow out young cattle. windbreaks for their cattle “with about another 30
Swan Agri’s main focus is beef production and years to go”.
with the purchase of another 546ha north of Kerry sees the 1500 to 2000 seedlings
Meningie, earlier this year, their herd will grow to planted each year as a legacy project for future
more than 1000 Angus breeders, which calve in generations but says they may also see some
March and April. marketing benefit in demonstrating they are good
They also trade about 1000 steers annually. environmental stewards of the land.
Their philosophy has been to breed the best “We have our eye on the carbon market but we
quality cattle they can with the herd based don’t expect to sell credits or even be paid for it -
on Sterita Park, Coolana and Stoney Point we are doing it because it is the right thing to do,”
bloodlines. she said. Long-term employee Shaun Cunneen, who is the
In the past six years, they have started breeding “With our relationship with TFI, we know they operations manager, has been working at Swan
most of their own bulls with an elite cow herd and are already getting global pressure from their Brothers for more than 20 years.
artificial insemination joinings. customers to be able to describe their carbon
They also use genomic tests footprint.
AngusHeiferSELECT and HD50K to help select “The day is coming either as a TFI supplier or as
their replacement females and bulls. a premium beef producer where we will have to Real Estate venture builds
“We really put the rigour over them for structure account for what we are doing to re-engage our Kerry Swan would like to spend every day
and type and only keep the best,” Craig said. carbon back into the soil, so we are well ahead of planting trees but knows it is not going to be a
The Swans are a long-time supplier to Thomas that.” reality for at least the next decade, working in
Foods International with most steers sold at 475 During summer Kerry collects seeds from trees business development and strategy across the
kilograms to 520kg to Southern Cross feedlot at indigenous to the local area such as sheoaks, Swan Group.
Tintinara. river red gums, mallees and lemon scented She started Coorong Realty about eight years
“We have always placed a high value on our gums. These are propagated and planted in late ago after gaining her real estate licence to help
customers and suppliers in our businesses, and autumn-winter. manage her family’s commercial interests.
TFI are no different,” he said. She says they have learned some valuable Early on Coorong Realty, which has offices
“Dealing with one company enables trust and lessons about site preparation for the seedlings, in Meningie and Tailem Bend, found a niche
strong relationships to develop.” including the importance of spraying out lucerne supplying serviced accommodation for those
Leaving a legacy to avoid competition, especially in dry years. working on The Bend Motorsport Park as well as
“It is a slow process but the biodiversity over the other big projects in the region by encouraging
Tree planting is a labour of love for Kerry Swan longer term will be really important and the climate their clients to rent out their houses fully furnished.
with her vision to see the Narrung Peninsula - impact for the cattle,” she said. That all changed during COVID when travel