About Us
We are a family owned and run business specialising in designing multi-species cover crops, forages and custom made blend seed mixes. We plant 1500ac a year of these multi species blends intergrating our livestock operation as part of our soil health program on our 8500 ac cropping program.
We found from our own experience that cover crops are a low risk, low input way to get maximum production above and below the ground, providing great live weight and animal health gains. In addition, cover crops assist in building soil structure, water infiltration, soil biology, water holding capacity, disease and weed supression.
How We Do It
We source the highest quality bare seed that we inoculate with minerals and other microbes to enhance germination and quorum sensing between each species. By using a diversity of root architecture and root exudates, the multi-species are able to explore larger areas of soil, making them far more water and nutrient efficient. Each root system has its own unique ability to unlock and solubilise different minerals and nutrients. When put together in well designed mixes, plants will collaborate through quorum sensing and fungal associations to share and release these minerals and nutrients into the soil. This in turn can provide a greater nutrient density to the animals that graze it, resulting in all round gains and gives the earth a greater chance of sequestering and building soil carbon at depth.
Options We Provide
High diversity Winter and Summer cover crops and Forages
Starter mixes for Winter and Summer
Soil health biological primers
Dairy mixes (Annuals and Perennials)
Inter row orchard mixes
Equine mixes
Market garden mixes
“What we do is really exciting, we get high levels of production with a low input cost, while fixing our soil.”
— Grant Sims
Bailey Wilson
Seed Mixing Operations Manager
The Team
Grant Sims
Director
Bailey works in our cropping program operating all machinery and applying foliar fertilisers to the seed crops, he is qualified in sports turf management and helps to ensure our mixes are completed to the highest of standards.
Ken is a 5th generation farmer as well as a expert in crop management and engineering. He left school at the age of 17 to work on the farm and has been innovating and working in the agricultural industry for ever since. He is also a qualified wool classer.
Russell Tatt
Cropping Operations Manager
Russell is a jack of all trades and licensed to operate all kinds of machinery, he can be relied upon to complete all aspects of the enterprise. Russell has a cert 3 in agriculture, working in the industry for 30 years.
Holly Evans
Admin and logistic coordinator
Holly brings a vast amount of administrative and logistics management experience to the team, she handles our office administration, freight and logistics and has greatly assisted in the smooth running of the business.
Wendy Sims
Administration Manager
Wendy has worked on the farm since marriage in 1977 as well as a being a secondary school teacher in Echuca for over 30 years. Wendy oversees all office administration for Down Under Covers.
Stephen (Small) McIntyre
Livestock and Biofertiliser manager
Small has been with the Sims family since 2009. He is the main stockman and bio fertiliser manufacturer, he also lends a hand to all parts of the enterprise as required to ensure a smooth operation. A qualified Plumber before joining the team.
Jarryd Wolfe
Trucking and freight Operations
Jarryd is our main truck and machinery driver and has returned to the Sims family after spending time travelling. A qualified Builder before joining the team he is relied on to help ensure our mixes leave the warehouse and arrive at our customers farms in perfect condition.
Our ever growing team includes a diverse set of skill sets of who come together to grow, harvest, mix, procure and deliver our seed mixes Australia Wide.
Ken Sims
Director
Grant is a 6th generation farmer and oversees all aspects of Down Under Covers, he is vocal ambassador for Regenerative Agriculture sharing his knowledge around the country.
In 2015 Grant was awarded the Coles Weekly Times Farmer of the Year. Grant is also the former president of the Victorian No Till Famers Association.
