A Visit to Prospect Pastoral Farm: Where Natural Intelligence Farming is Changing Australia’s Landscape
|
|
Time to read 3 min
|
|
Time to read 3 min
Recently, we visited Prospect Pastoral Farm in Western Australia. This is the birthplace of Natural Intelligence Farming (NIF), a system developed by Ian and Dianne Haggerty that is quietly transforming the future of agriculture in one of the harshest regions of the country. What we saw was a living example of what happens when you let nature lead in agriculture. The results are stunning. This farm has gone from fragile and dry to biologically rich and incredibly productive.
What we witnessed was farming at its purest. The Haggertys have proven that when you work with nature instead of against it, the land responds. Their approach focuses on restoring the soil’s microbiome, rebuilding natural fertility, and bringing life back to landscapes that were once considered unworkable.
“Natural Intelligence Farming is about letting nature do the heavy lifting. When you restore the biology of soil, everything changes, from yields to food quality.” — Ian Haggerty
The farm produces premium wheat, rye, Merino wool, and lamb. What makes this especially impressive is that just a few years ago, the land was written off as unworkable. By rebuilding the soil microbiome and working with natural cycles instead of chemical inputs, the Haggertys have brought it back to life. This isn’t just farming. It is ecological restoration in full motion.
Feedback from artisan bakeries using their regenerative wheat has been particularly revealing. Customers with gluten sensitivities, who normally avoid bread, are reporting they can eat loaves made with NIF-grown grain without issue. There is something different about food grown in healthy soil. You can taste it. They even got us to bite into one of the strands of wheat straight from the field. There was a soft sweetness to it, a signal of the plant's vitality, which likely comes from the diverse biology supporting it below ground.
Instead of pushing the land with synthetic fertilisers, the Haggertys allow it to find its rhythm. They encourage native grasses, manage ground cover, and let plants and microbes do what they evolved to do. Their results have drawn attention not only from local growers, but from international researchers studying climate resilience, soil regeneration, and regenerative agriculture models for drylands.
Natural Intelligence Farming is now being recognised globally as one of the most promising regenerative models available today. It sequesters carbon, supports biodiversity, rebuilds soil fertility, and improves yields over time. Several agricultural think tanks have identified it as a powerful climate solution rooted in soil health.
This alignment of values is one reason Fridgy has partnered with the Haggerty family. Our gear is made for people like them. People who work long hours outdoors, often in heat, dust, and unpredictable conditions. They need durable hydration tools that last, that stay cold in the sun, and that support hard work. The Haggertys use Fridgy bottles and coolers in the field because they are built with the same values as their farming system. Dependable, practical, and focused on the long term.
We're also proud to introduce Matthew Haggerty as a Fridgy brand ambassador. As a next-generation farmer and advocate for regenerative agriculture, Matthew brings energy and deep insight to the future of food systems. His leadership in scaling Natural Intelligence Farming is a powerful example of what modern land stewardship can look like.
During our visit, we recorded an in-depth video interview with Ian and Dianne. They shared how NIF emerged, what it takes to restore degraded land, and how the landscape has responded. The key, they said, was observation and biology, not control.
“We stopped assuming we knew better than the land. Once we stepped back, it showed us what it needed.” — Ian Haggerty
Dianne added that their approach is deeply grounded in science, even if it looks different from conventional farming. “We’re not anti-science. We are the science. It just comes with a longer view,” she said. That long view is paying off. The soil is staying covered, moisture is held in, and the system is becoming more self-sustaining.
As we wrapped up the day, Matthew pointed to a patch of land that had once been stripped bare. It was now covered in native grasses and buzzing with insects. He looked down and said:
“If you want better food, you have to start with better soil.”
That one sentence says it all. The future of farming does not lie in heavier inputs or faster cycles. It lives in the soil. It lives in the people who are rebuilding that soil. It lives in the connection between food, land, and community.
To learn more about the science, results, and philosophy behind this movement, we encourage you to visit the official Natural Intelligence Farming website. There, you'll find research insights, interviews, and updates from the Haggerty family as they continue to reshape what sustainable agriculture looks like in Australia and beyond.
