The farm

Gilgooma is a mixed farming operation spanning roughly 11,500 acres on the western plains of New South Wales, between the Castlereagh Highway and Pilliga Forest. The property is managed day-to-day by Ben Keen and Pip Goldsmith, who are taking on the legacy of Pip's parents, Steve and Babs.

The land is used for both broadacre dryland cropping and livestock production, with a strong focus on rotational planning and risk management in a variable climate.

Cropping

The farm runs a winter cropping program that includes wheat, barley, canola, faba beans and lupins. All crops are dryland (rainfall dependent) — there’s no irrigation here — so decisions are made based on rainfall, stored soil moisture, commodity pricing, and seasonal outlooks.

Crops are sown in autumn and harvested in late spring or early summer. Grain is stored on farm or delivered directly to receival sites depending on quality, timing and market conditions.

Gilgooma uses minimal-till methods and stubble retention to conserve moisture, protect topsoil and reduce erosion. Inputs like fertiliser and chemical are applied using GPS-guided equipment, with mapping tools used to track performance and support future planning.

Livestock

The livestock enterprise is focused on breeding first-cross terminal lambs. Ewes are joined to Dorset rams to produce fast-growing prime lambs for the meat market. Lambing is timed to align with the natural pasture curve and available stubble feed.

Lambs are backgrounded on crop stubbles and supplementary feed where needed, before being sold over-the-hooks or through saleyards depending on market conditions.

Sheep management includes regular vaccination, parasite control, and body condition monitoring. Stock are moved with working dogs and side-by-sides — not horses — and water is delivered via a combination of trough systems and natural dams.

Infrastructure and Systems

Power is mains-connected. Water is sourced from artesian bores and pumped to tanks across the property for both stock and domestic use. Communications rely on Starlink satellite internet and UHF for paddock comms.

Day-to-day operations are tracked using a combination of digital and manual systems and various mapping tools for planning and recordkeeping.

The workforce is lean — with contract labour brought in for shearing, harvesting, spraying, or when the workload exceeds capacity. Seasonal fatigue, weather risk, and equipment redundancy are part of the equation when making business decisions.

Environmental Stewardship

Sustainability is built into how the property is managed. Farming practices are designed to work with the landscape, not against it — with a long-term focus on soil health, biodiversity and water security.

Minimal tillage and stubble retention protect soil structure and reduce erosion. Dual-purpose paddocks and crop-livestock integration allow for more efficient land use and lower external inputs. Artesian water is used conservatively, with infrastructure in place to reduce waste and monitor usage.

Weeds and pests are managed with a focus on threshold-based decision-making rather than blanket treatment. Habitat trees and remnant vegetation are retained across the property to support native species and maintain landscape function.

Put simply — we aim to leave the land in better condition than we found it.