Marlivale Farm | Australian Grown Dryland Rice

Nimbin Valley, Northern NSW

Marlivale sits on Widjabul Wia-bal Country, surrounded by remnants of Gondwana rainforest, volcanic soils and the rolling subtropical hills that define the Nimbin Valley. Today the farm is a mixed operation producing dryland rice, pecans and beef cattle, with every crop and rotation shaped by the natural conditions of the region.

Relatives of the Boyle family have been farming in the Nimbin Valley since the 1860s, with Frank and Andrea purchasing Marlivale Farm from family members in 1988 and gradually shifting the property from its earlier focus on dairy, pigs and grazing into a mixed operation of pecans, dryland rice and livestock. Frank has lived on the property for most of his life and has been farming since childhood, while Andrea joined him in the 1980s after moving from the United Kingdom. In 2020 their daughter Sophie, along with her partner Mac, returned to Marlivale to continue the family tradition, bringing new energy and a long term commitment to stewarding the land.

The Boyle family grows the Japanese variety Tachiminori, a medium to short grain japonica that performs well in subtropical conditions. Its genetics differ from the southern Australian breeding program, which for more than a century has focused on high yielding irrigated varieties suited to the colder climates of the Riverina. Tachiminori suits a rainfall-dependent system and has shown resilience during both dry spells and extremely wet years. In favourable seasons the Boyles also grow Kyeema, a fragrant long grain variety.

The rice fields form part of a broader regenerative rotation that includes cover crops, mixed pastures and grazing cattle. The family rotates the rice blocks to balance soil nutrients and reduce pressure from weeds, pests and disease. They use mixed species cover crops and continually trial new combinations to crimp and plant into, aiming to suppress summer grasses without heavy chemical use. Grazing animals are integrated after rice harvest to recycle nutrients and rebuild soil structure.

Across the wider farm, the pecan orchards and cattle system are managed with minimal chemical inputs. Fertility is built through carbon based amendments such as chicken manure and wood chips, and the family applies foliar sprays that they make themselves. They keep their own seed stock and inoculate with beneficial microbes to support soil biology. While some tillage is still required for the rice enterprise, they work to reduce disturbance each season and to align the whole farm with their long term regenerative goals.

A living, diverse landscape

Roughly half of Marlivale Farm remains wet sclerophyll forest and old timber that provides habitat for native wildlife. The orchards, pastures and rice fields all sit within this mosaic of vegetation and canopy, creating natural buffers, biodiversity and resilience. Even within the pecan orchard there are multiple varieties to increase ecological diversity and reduce vulnerability to weather and pest cycles.

The family manages pests and weeds with an observation based approach. In the rice fields they sometimes use soft, targeted herbicides when absolutely necessary, but avoid glyphosate and continue to trial alternatives such as crimping, sun hemp cover cropping and minimal till planting. In the orchards they rely on natural controls and foliar nutrition rather than fungicides. In the cattle operation they monitor pasture quality, nutrition and parasite pressure while maintaining chemical free paddocks wherever possible.

Adapting to a changing climate

With the past few years being some of the wettest on record, farming in the Nimbin Valley means working with rainfall, humidity and increasingly unpredictable weather. The family adapts by designing systems that can flex with the season rather than resisting it. This includes planting rice to match rainfall patterns, using diverse pastures, maintaining tree cover and wildlife corridors, and continually refining rotations so the land can respond to extremes.

Growing rice without irrigation also lowers the environmental footprint of the crop. Research into climate-smart rice shows that rain-fed systems can use significantly less water and generate fewer methane emissions than traditional flooded paddy systems. For Marlivale this is less a marketing claim and more a natural outcome of farming with the landscape rather than imposing a separate water regime onto it.

What they hope customers feel

For the Boyle family, food is a direct connection to place. They hope people feel nourished when they eat the food produced on Marlivale, and that customers understand they are supporting a small family farm that is trying to farm in a way that cares for both people and landscape.