Lessons from Failure: Embracing Setbacks on the Farm

title: 'Lessons from Failure: Embracing Setbacks on the Farm' date: '2025-06-05' tags: ['reflection', 'learning'] excerpt: 'How mistakes in planting, grazing and project management have shaped our adaptive approach.' image: '/images/img_5.jpg' author: 'Jonno'

When we first began reforesting and trialling syntropic guilds at Carinya Parc, not everything went to plan. In this post, we explore:

1. Planting Errors: What we learned from selecting the wrong species for certain soil types and how we adapted our nursery mix.
2. Grazing Missteps: How over-rotation and poor timing impacted pasture health—and the corrective measures we implemented.
3. Management Hiccups: Lessons from volunteer coordination and equipment failures, with tips on process improvement.
4. Resilience in Action: How embracing setbacks has made our team—and our land—more robust over time.

"Every failure is a lesson in disguise, pointing us toward a more resilient system."