CALLUM LAWSON – Recovering from fire on farmland, the Longwood fire Victoria

July 27, 2026

NEW RELEASE: Episode 38 of FARMERS HELPING FARMERS, THE PODCAST

VicNoTill board member Callum Lawson and his partner, large-animal veterinarian Lyndall Barwick, were on the frontline of the Longwood bushfire in Victoria that started on January 7, 2026. This fire burnt over 140,000 hectares.

Callum manages ‘Allanvale’ at Avenel and his family farm is at Highlands, about 45 minutes southeast. Callum and Lyndall did everything they could to create firebreaks and protect livestock at ‘Allanvale’ in catastrophic conditions before making an emergency dash to Highlands to help save the family farm.

Seven months on, Michael Gooden catches up with Callum about the steps he’s taken to restore and repair burnt soils, and rebuild his regenerative grazing system using tools such as natural sequence farming, virtual fencing, applying foliars, stimulating his underground biology and just sitting back patiently letting his landscape rest and recover as his soils rebuild themselves.

A huge thank you to Callum for his generosity in sharing his story and for the time he’s put into sharing his knowledge and experience to help others. Farmers helping farmers is what it’s all about.

  • Callum and Lyndall’s fire experience and recovery story also feature in From the Ground Up, Issues 77 (already out) and Issue 78 – hitting member mailboxes in the next week! Not a member? Join now!
  • This episode is proudly supported by our 2026 Conference Gold Sponsor Eagle i Machinery