When grazier David Ross wanted to improve his bottomline, he didn't look at increasing carrying capacity or stocking rates, instead finding a way to make money from an unlikely source: his power bill.
In 2015 Mr Ross realised that he was spending an outrageous amount each quarter on electricity, and began the process of implementing a fully "stand alone" system which would produce 15 kilowatts of power.
By being self-sufficient, Mr Ross and his wife Kim can also rest assured that they won't be left without power during blackouts and "weather events", which are not uncommon in the Glen Echo area in Queensland.
Mr Ross said the neighbours also appreciated the reliability of their power during the numerous floods this year, popping over to charge their phones and have a cold beer in the days where they were cut off from town.
Although the infrastructure has cost around $65,000 to this point, including solar panels, control systems, a battery and a backup generator, Mr Ross said the system is already beginning to pay for itself and he is confident that it will save him a lot of money in the long run.
"I was born and bred in this industry, and I live and breathe to do whatever it takes on the land," Mr Ross said.
"You've got to find a way to make yourself more viable, and the farm can only earn as much money as the size of the property allows, unless you go and buy more property.
"So that makes you look at options and I decided to focus on my power."
As someone who likes to do things his own way, Mr Ross decided not to engage with solar schemes offered by the big power companies and instead chose to create a system that he knew would work best for his operation.
Mr Ross said many people had been convinced to bear the brunt of upfront costs in the upgrade to solar power, but were only seeing a small portion of the benefits.
Not overly keen on pumping excess power back to the grid, he instead chose to store his power in a battery that could be used to power his property on "greyer days."
"We're a pretty stubborn lot, us farmers, and we all tend to do it our own way," Mr Ross said.
"The power companies are offering solutions to people through their schemes but at the end of the day, they're looking to improve their own bottomline, not yours.
"So they'll make you pay for the infrastructure to improve their unreliable power systems, promising that you'll save money, but you're not seeing that in your bank account."
With the help of Jock Howard from SPS Energy at Eumundi, Mr Ross has so far installed 51 solar panels, with the majority on the roof of his shed and an additional few atop of his "man cave."
The most recent addition to Mr Ross's infrastructure is a new micro-inverter system run near one of his dams, which will produce a further five kilowatts of power, taking his total to 20 kilowatts, that can be produced on-farm.
Mr Ross said he will be able to use this new system to pump and irrigate more efficiently, with the power being closer to the water source, rather than having to travel from the main system at the shed.
"So with this system, I will be able to run two pumps, which is pretty exciting," he said.
"It produces power down at the dam and then if I'm not using it there, it can also push back up here to the house."
The solar power system also allows Mr Ross to pump water to troughs around the property for their 60 head of breeders, who are run on improved pasture all year round.
Ms Ross said that although the environment wasn't front of mind for them when implementing the solar power, it is undoubtedly a major positive.
"We didn't initially do it to be green, but that is definitely a huge benefit," she said.
"It just shows that farmers are doing their part to help the environment, along with all the other things that we do on our farm to take care of the country."
The Ross's property, Rosehill, is situated around 20 kilometres from the town of Woolooga and has been owned by the family since 1958 when it was one of Queensland's original dairy farms, before becoming a beef cattle operation in the 1970's.
Ms Ross said they recently began opening their property to visitors through "Rosehill Farmstay," where guests are invited to learn more about both farming and solar power, and see firsthand how primary producers cab be both environmentally and financially sustainable.
No stranger to modern power, Mr Ross also owns an electric bike which he uses to do water runs or check fences, as well as an impressive outfit in the couple's landcruiser ute which allows them to run a Nescafe machine from the tray, ensuring they don't miss out on a cappuccino during camping trips.
