Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Regenerative grazing gets much more interesting when soil biology and livestock control start working together. David and Kevina Richardson are rebuilding pasture while using virtual fencing to control exactly where and when their cattle graze.
But their transition wasn't perfect. When they initially stopped synthetic inputs too quickly, pasture biomass dropped sharply — forcing them to rethink how biological farming could work in a practical beef operation.
David and Cavina took over a former dairy spell paddock and began converting it into a much more intensively managed beef grazing system.
They were applying increasing amounts of fertiliser without seeing the equivalent increase in pasture growth, while microscope work suggested that the biological activity in their soil was also lacking.
Their first response was to make and spread their own compost. It worked as part of the learning process, but making compost was time-consuming and they weren't always certain which microorganisms they were actually growing.
Their system has since evolved toward applying biological products directly to the paddock and effectively allowing the pasture itself to become the biological processing system.
At the same time, they have changed how they manage the cattle.
Using Gallagher eShepherd virtual fencing collars, they can create grazing areas from a phone, automatically move cattle, protect sensitive areas and rest sections of pasture without constructing another permanent fence.
That combination of soil biology + controlled grazing is the real story here.
We also look at:
what happened when they stopped synthetic fertiliser too quickly
why they moved away from making their own compost
how biological inputs are applied to pasture
what they look for in roots, worms and fungal biology
how cattle learn a virtual boundary
why they are now removing some internal fences
how virtual grazing areas can protect fragile parts of a paddock
how grazing control is affecting their stocking-rate expectations
why David believes there may still be considerable production capacity left in the system
Their current stocking rate is around 23 DSE, and David believes the system may eventually allow them to move toward 30 DSE and beyond — although he freely admits they don't yet know where the ceiling is.
Search and learning context
This case study covers regenerative grazing, biological farming, soil biology, pasture management, beef cattle grazing, virtual fencing, Gallagher eShepherd, rotational grazing, grazing management, biological fertiliser, compost biology, soil microbes, fungal biology, pasture utilisation, stocking rate, DSE, fertiliser efficiency and reducing reliance on synthetic farm inputs.
For farmers asking how virtual fencing works, how cattle learn virtual boundaries, whether biological farming can work commercially, how soil biology affects pasture production, or how grazing management can reduce pasture damage, this is a practical real-farm example rather than a theoretical system.
Watch next on Farm Learning:
Regenerative Agriculture Case Studies
Soil Biology, Compost & Biological Inputs
Electric fencing, rotational grazing and pasture-management videos
If you're experimenting with biological inputs, virtual fencing or a different grazing system, tell us what you've learned in the comments.
Share this with a farmer or landholder working through the same questions, and subscribe to Farm Learning with Tim Thompson for more practical agricultural case studies, farm technology and real-world farming systems.
Featured systems: Gallagher eShepherd virtual fencing eshepherd.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23967215031&gbraid=0AAAAA-noqM_8dTWBtJ6nnUZx8JbTmZ6Je&gclid=CjwKCAjwkaXUBhASEiwAZI3ds3fLhy-5-ylHUJu3xTak-zWdTpqGqc5rohbynMgu-RgyqFIRlvUt4hoCdNEQAvD_BwE
BioLink biological pasture inputs https://biolink4plants.com.au/
This video was made possible by RegenWA through funding from the Western Australian Government's State NRM program.
Regen WA regenwa.com/projects/make-your-hectare-count-empowering-peri-urban-landholders-to-practice-regeneration
#RegenerativeAgriculture #VirtualFencing #SoilBiology #GrazingManagement #BeefCattle
00:00 Rundown Dairy Paddock to Productive Beef Pasture
01:23 Why More Fertiliser Wasn't Growing More Grass
02:18 What Happened When They Quit Synthetics Too Fast
03:17 What the Microscope Revealed About Their Soil
03:50 Why Making Their Own Compost Became Too Much Work
05:06 Applying Biology Directly to the Paddock
06:29 Why They're Pulling Internal Fences Out
07:05 Gallagher eShepherd Virtual Fencing in Practice
09:17 How Cattle Learn a Virtual Boundary
10:32 Why the Open Gate Doesn't Matter
11:08 Roots, Worms and Fungal Biology
12:05 Reducing Reliance on Synthetic Nitrogen
12:44 Biology + Grazing Technology Working Together
14:15 23 DSE Now — Could They Reach 30+?
15:17 The Cattle Move Themselves
16:14 Funding Acknowledgement
Regenerative grazing gets much more interesting when soil biology and livestock control start working together. David and Kevina Richardson are rebuilding pasture while using virtual fencing to control exactly where and when their cattle graze.
But their transition wasn't perfect. When they initially stopped synthetic inputs too quickly, pasture biomass dropped sharply — forcing them to rethink how biological farming could work in a practical beef operation.
David and Cavina took over a former dairy spell paddock and began converting it into a much more intensively managed beef grazing system.
They were applying increasing amounts of fertiliser without seeing the equivalent increase in pasture growth, while microscope work suggested that the biological activity in their soil was also lacking.
Their first response was to make and spread their own compost. It worked as part of the learning process, but making compost was time-consuming and they weren't always certain which microorganisms they were actually growing.
Their system has since evolved toward applying biological products directly to the paddock and effectively allowing the pasture itself to become the biological processing system.
At the same time, they have changed how they manage the cattle.
Using Gallagher eShepherd virtual fencing collars, they can create grazing areas from a phone, automatically move cattle, protect sensitive areas and rest sections of pasture without constructing another permanent fence.
That combination of soil biology + controlled grazing is the real story here.
We also look at:
what happened when they stopped synthetic fertiliser too quickly
why they moved away from making their own compost
how biological inputs are applied to pasture
what they look for in roots, worms and fungal biology
how cattle learn a virtual boundary
why they are now removing some internal fences
how virtual grazing areas can protect fragile parts of a paddock
how grazing control is affecting their stocking-rate expectations
why David believes there may still be considerable production capacity left in the system
Their current stocking rate is around 23 DSE, and David believes the system may eventually allow them to move toward 30 DSE and beyond — although he freely admits they don't yet know where the ceiling is.
Search and learning context
This case study covers regenerative grazing, biological farming, soil biology, pasture management, beef cattle grazing, virtual fencing, Gallagher eShepherd, rotational grazing, grazing management, biological fertiliser, compost biology, soil microbes, fungal biology, pasture utilisation, stocking rate, DSE, fertiliser efficiency and reducing reliance on synthetic farm inputs.
For farmers asking how virtual fencing works, how cattle learn virtual boundaries, whether biological farming can work commercially, how soil biology affects pasture production, or how grazing management can reduce pasture damage, this is a practical real-farm example rather than a theoretical system.
Watch next on Farm Learning:
Regenerative Agriculture Case Studies
Soil Biology, Compost & Biological Inputs
Electric fencing, rotational grazing and pasture-management videos
If you're experimenting with biological inputs, virtual fencing or a different grazing system, tell us what you've learned in the comments.
Share this with a farmer or landholder working through the same questions, and subscribe to Farm Learning with Tim Thompson for more practical agricultural case studies, farm technology and real-world farming systems.
Featured systems: Gallagher eShepherd virtual fencing eshepherd.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23967215031&gbraid=0AAAAA-noqM_8dTWBtJ6nnUZx8JbTmZ6Je&gclid=CjwKCAjwkaXUBhASEiwAZI3ds3fLhy-5-ylHUJu3xTak-zWdTpqGqc5rohbynMgu-RgyqFIRlvUt4hoCdNEQAvD_BwE
BioLink biological pasture inputs https://biolink4plants.com.au/
This video was made possible by RegenWA through funding from the Western Australian Government's State NRM program.
Regen WA regenwa.com/projects/make-your-hectare-count-empowering-peri-urban-landholders-to-practice-regeneration
#RegenerativeAgriculture #VirtualFencing #SoilBiology #GrazingManagement #BeefCattle
00:00 Rundown Dairy Paddock to Productive Beef Pasture
01:23 Why More Fertiliser Wasn't Growing More Grass
02:18 What Happened When They Quit Synthetics Too Fast
03:17 What the Microscope Revealed About Their Soil
03:50 Why Making Their Own Compost Became Too Much Work
05:06 Applying Biology Directly to the Paddock
06:29 Why They're Pulling Internal Fences Out
07:05 Gallagher eShepherd Virtual Fencing in Practice
09:17 How Cattle Learn a Virtual Boundary
10:32 Why the Open Gate Doesn't Matter
11:08 Roots, Worms and Fungal Biology
12:05 Reducing Reliance on Synthetic Nitrogen
12:44 Biology + Grazing Technology Working Together
14:15 23 DSE Now — Could They Reach 30+?
15:17 The Cattle Move Themselves
16:14 Funding Acknowledgement
