Young Monaro Farmer Ivy McGufficke Named Re[Gen]eration Fellow 2025

Ivy grew up in a tight-knit farming family on the Monaro Plains of NSW, and spent her childhood running amongst the merino sheep that have sustained her family for four generations. Today, she helps manage an enterprise running more than 15,000 sheep and producing over 110,000 kilograms of fine wool each year.

 “Being part of an intergenerational farm means being part of something much bigger than myself – a legacy that links family, land and community,” she says.

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A youth spent following gullies, fishing for tadpoles in troughs and helping in the shearing sheds instilled in her a deep respect for the land and for nature.

And her grandfather’s enduring philosophy has long been a voice in her head: “Take care of them and they will take care of you – whether that’s livestock, the land or people.”

In the Monaro, conditions are harsh and variable – searing summers, long droughts and icy winters – but for her, that’s part of the attraction.

“The Monaro’s unique environment builds resilience in both livestock and people,” she says. “It forces you to think differently and to adapt. You can’t just do what’s always been done.”

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Ivy and her family witnessed 100% tree dieback on parts of their property, which she says was confronting and humbling, seeing how quickly ecosystems could unravel. But seeing it start to revive brought a deep respect for nature, and new ways of thinking about working in partnership with it.

Even during dry spells, the family is experimenting with new feeding strategies like casual forage feeding, which spreads rations evenly across paddocks, reducing soil erosion and stress on lambing ewes. “It’s about doing simple things well, thinking through every input you can control, and aligning it with nature and the whole system relying on the farm,” she explains.

 

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Through the ReGeneration Fellowship, she hopes to expand this spirit of experimentation and connection.

She says: “Agriculture’s greatest strength is its adaptability. By sharing ideas and embracing creativity, we can find practical, lasting ways to balance ecological health with financial viability.”

Her vision is clear: to help reshape how Australia sees its farmers – not just as producers, but as stewards of land, knowledge and possibility.

“Survival is all about adaptation” she says. “In farming, that’s never been truer. Our job is to keep evolving, listening and learning – and to leave the land better than we found it.”

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Ivy will travel to Sante Fe, USA to attend the Regenerate Conference next month. She’ll also have the opportunity to join talks, farm and ranch visits, and be part of an ongoing fellowship network.