Farming and the Reef - rewriting the narrative

It’s difficult to be anything other than impressed by the manicured rows of mango trees as you drive through the front gate at Golden Drop Winery in Biboohra, just north of Mareeba in Queensland’s far north. Maria Nastasi describes them as like ‘bonsai trees.’ And considering how diligently the Nastasi family runs their farm, that’s a fair description.

Today, Maria’s husband Dino runs Golden Drop Winery alongside his brother Sam. The property was made famous in the far north by Sam and Dino’s father Charlie and was originally established in the late 1940s by the brothers’ grandfather Salvatore Nastasi.

From the original block where the family grew tobacco—then pumpkin, sweet potato, and other vegetables—Charlie planted his first 3,600 mango trees in 1975.

Family matriarch, Charlie’s widow Lucy who still lives on the farm, said that as neighbours sold up, Charlie expanded the property, which is now home to 17,500 mango trees.

Four mango varieties: Kensington Pride, Kensington Red, Keitt, and the family’s own Pearl, are grown across the property’s 73 hectares, with the Kensington varieties going into their Golden Drop Wines lineup that comprises three wines, a sparkling, a mango port, as well as liqueurs.

Charlie established the winery in 1999, noting the need to diversify their income through value-adding to protect their business against fluctuating fruit prices.

It became the first commercial winery in North Queensland, with the move having the added benefit of turning the family farm into a tourist destination. It was no surprise that other farms followed suit.

Another significant tourist drawcard in the area is of course the Great Barrier Reef.

The Nastasi family’s property has recently achieved Hort360 Reef Certification underpinning their continued commitment to protecting the environment and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Delivered by the Hort360 Great Barrier Reef program through the project delivery arm of the Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers – horticultural growers are being supported to benchmark farming practices identifying areas where they excel, and others that may require improvement.

From there, growers have the option to undertake a Reef Certification audit.

While the words ‘compliance’ and ‘audit’ can be daunting, Sam’s wife Jackie who looks after the farm’s compliance work said it was easier than she expected, with Program Facilitator Paula Ibell on-hand to guide them through the process.

Benchmarking showed the Nastasi’s on-farm practices were of an excellent standard, and yet, the family was still seeking feedback on how to make things better.

Grassy interrows, earthworks to prevent erosion and loss of topsoil, scouting to improve efficacy of chemical use, and retaining riparian vegetation are some of the ways the Nastasis look after their farm, and in turn waterways leading to the reef.

Maria and Jackie agreed that benchmarking and Reef Certification helped them step outside the day-to-day of farming and made them aware of extra things they could do from a record-keeping perspective.

“Although we check the weather, we hadn’t kept those as records, so that’s something we do now, as well as irrigation. You know dates, when, and how much (water). It was just a recommendation from the auditor, but if we’re ever asked about it, we’ve got the information now,” said Maria.

It’s clear the Nastasis feel a sense of duty to the environment, their family, and the sector, in doing whatever they could to protect the environment.

“We’ve got generations coming along,” Maria said as Jackie’s grandson Fletcher came into the tea room. “If he were to take to the land, he’d be the fifth generation.”

“We live here too. We don’t want anything bad to happen [to the reef]. You want to keep everything nice for the next generation,” said Jackie.

The family recognised that agriculture had been identified as a contributor to the Great Barrier Reef’s deterioration and want to play a role in turning that narrative around.

“Reef certification is a way we can confirm for ourselves, as well as show the visitors that come through our gates that we’re doing our part for the reef for today and for the generations to come,” said Maria.

The Reef Certification sign is now proudly displayed at the farmgate.

Hort360 Program Facilitator Paula Ibell said it was no surprise the Nastasi farm had flourished over such a long period of time considering the attention to detail they have in every aspect of their farm’s operations.

“The Nastasi family have shown an unwavering dedication to their farm and the environment. Working with them in benchmarking and Reef Certification showed that there was no recommendation too big or too small, they were happy to learn,” Paula said.

“And you can see this has been their approach over decades through the detailed records they’ve kept. Their farm and approach to growing is a real gift to the region and the family has a lot to be proud of.”

Hort360 GBR is funded through the Queensland Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program.