Blackberries Gone — Using Nature, Not Chemicals

Blackberries are one of Australia’s most stubborn farm weeds — and spraying often doesn’t work.
On this farm, they’re disappearing without chemicals.

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In this episode of Farm Learning, Tim Thompson visits regenerative farmer Jackie Checkley to explore practical, proven ways to control blackberries naturally.

Using strategic grazing, bale grazing, soil pressure, native animals, biodiversity, and plant competition, Jackie shows how blackberries can be reduced — and even eliminated — by working with natural systems instead of fighting them with chemicals.

This is real-world regenerative agriculture in action, offering practical ideas for farmers, graziers, and rural landholders dealing with blackberry infestations across Australia, the UK, and the US.

This video covers natural blackberry control, regenerative weed management, grazing management for weeds, controlling blackberries without herbicides, pasture biodiversity, rotational grazing systems, bale grazing, biological weed control, soil health indicators, native wildlife regeneration, and low-input farming systems.

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Location & Guests

📍 Southern Victoria, Australia
👩‍🌾 Featuring: Jackie Checkley
🐄 Systems shown: Rotational grazing, bale grazing, biodiversity management

00:00 Why blackberries are so hard to control
00:23 Why spraying often fails
00:44 Blackberries disappearing — what’s happening?
01:54 Bale grazing on blackberries
02:42 How cattle pressure changes soil conditions
03:19 Native animals attacking blackberry roots
04:17 Grazing, biodiversity, and weed indicators
04:49 Can plants replace weeds?
05:29 Sheep’s burnet vs blackberries
06:36 Plant families and soil function
07:56 Seeding competition into blackberry zones
08:33 Logs, livestock, and physical disturbance
09:28 Whole-farm systems replacing chemicals
09:51 Final lesson: stop treating symptoms