Joel and Emma Muirhead have been selected as the recipients of the 2022 Lachlan Hughes Foundation Scholarship.
They were selected by an independent panel from a strong field from around Australia, and will now be provided with funding and training in a broad range of regenerative agriculture techniques and practices, as well as receive specialist assistance and mentoring.
The foundation honours the memory of young Queensland cattleman Lachlan Hughes, who died as the result of a tragic on-farm accident in October 2018, and aims to continue his vision of improving landscapes and communities by fostering regenerative agricultural thinking and practices.
The Muirheads run their own beef operation, breeding most of their own Brahman, Angus, Charolais and crossbred cattle for specific markets, as well as trading cattle. They also recently added goats.
They own two enterprises - Twin Rivers near Mundubbera and Telemark west of Eidsvold - which they run with their four children, Madison, Greer, Edwin and Stirling, and their management team at Telemark.
The couple is focused on regenerative agriculture, implementing grazing and farming practices that place the health of their land front and centre, and are passionate about land advancement and reinvigorating tired soils.
Mr Muirhead said they were proud to be this year's scholars and were eager to get started.
"We're very excited and honoured to be receiving the scholarship and we're really excited to get started and share the journey," Mr Muirhead said.
The pair will attend a course run by Stuart Andrews of Tarwyn Park Training for an introduction to re-hydrating farms using Natural Sequence Farming techniques.
"It's something we've always wanted to implement. We're getting better with our grazing but we really wanted to get the hydration side started," Mr Muirhead said.
After completing the four-day course, the family will then host Mr Andrews at their farm.
"We're hosting one of his field days in September. I'll get started [implementing the techniques] and he'll come back at the field day and provide constructive criticism - hopefully that we've done a good job."
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The Muirheads follow in the footsteps of inaugural scholar Jack Groat, and 2021 scholar Beau North, who have both excelled with land, soil, and water management on their properties with assistance from the foundation through training and mentoring in regenerative ag practices.
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