Stories, news & events from the Lower Blackwood LCDC

September 2018

Stories, News & Events from the District

Our Land Champions Series:

Ben McDonald - adaptability & flexibility key to success.

160 macadamia trees and 250 other fruit trees including avocados, apples, citrus , 16 varieties of hops, 1680 wool shedding sheep and a cellar door, farm shop and restaurant...

Ben’s enthusiasm is boundless, and as a fourth-generation farmer he understands his land and is happy to be sharing its bounty directly to his customers. It seems Ben has always been ready to adapt and learn new skills to ensure the future of his family’s farm is secure. A true land hero!

Read more about Ben's philosophy and approach to ensuring their farm's sustainability into the future.

'Talkin Soils'

We were delighted to be able host our very first 'Talkin After Hours' event at our headquarters in Kudardup yesterday. This topical and informative workshop saw Wayne Challis, Senior Agronomist from High Tech Ag Solutions, give event participants an introduction to some key factors influencing soil health, plus what interventions could be undertaken to 'unlock' inaccessible nutrient banks present in soils. John Dunnet of Black Point Grass Fed Beef, backed this up through a short case study of his experience in using some of these interventions over the past decade, and the impacts on his soil's health and productivity .

The sundowner networking BBQ at the end of the event was a highlight, where more farming stories and experience in soil management were shared - thanks to all those who attended!

Read & hear more on this vitally important topic in this article from 'The Conversation 'To restore our soils, feed the microbes' , it's especially worthwhile to take some time to watch the video - Gabe Brown: Keys To Building a Healthy Soil included.

Save the date, November 29th , for our next 'Talkin After Hours' - Understanding your Soil Test. Details to follow in our next edition of the enews.

Catchment Landholders Working to Protect the Hardy Inlet

For the past 2 years a number of our catchment landholders have been working with us to improve the health of the beautiful & iconic Hardy Inlet.

To date this collaboration has seen the installation of 24.1km of fencin g to protect waterways and remnant vegetation; the planting of 9.3ha of waterways revegetation ; and the whole farm soil testing or planned testing of 46 properties . ...well over 50% of the expected project targets so great job to all the landholders who have participated so far!

The project, called the REI Waterways Restoration project , has been enabled through funding to landholders through the Regional Estuaries Initiative – a $20 million state government program led by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, to improve the health of 6 key regional estuaries.

It's not just our landholders who are doing great work, there are many volunteers & community groups out there working for the same goal. A great example of these unsung heros are the Augusta Land and Coastcare Group. The group, together with Augusta Primary School children & staff, revegetated a strip on the Blackwood River foreshore in front of Turner Caravan Park. The plants were contributed by the Augusta Tree Nursery in collaboration with the AMR Shire. Three years on and their foreshore looks beautiful and does it's bit in the overall effort to keep the Inlet Healthy.

Get Involved Yourself!

There is still funding available for eligible landholders to fence off their creek lines and drains so you too can participate in the REI Waterways Restoration project . Contact Joanna Wren at the Lower Blackwood LCDC to find out how.

T: 9758 4021 | M: 0408 584 006 | E: joanna.wren@lowerblackwood.com.au

The Role of Sedges & Rushes

While many people are familiar with the trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants of their area, few are familiar with the rushes and sedges. Many of the species look similar to the untrained eye, and are easily confused with weed species.

Rushes and sedges form an extremely important component of wetlands, rivers and estuaries of the coastal areas of the south west. They provide food and habitat for a wide range of aquatic species, assist with aeration of the sediments and filter and bind pollutants, particularly nutrients, that enter the ecosystem. In addition they are often found at the land-water interface, and play an important role in stabilizing the banks.

LCDC Project Officer Merryn Delaney has recently supported a landholder located in the Chapman Brook catchment to revegetate their creekline with a mixture of 925 riparian trees and shrubs and 600 rushes and sedges . Natural succession of sedges is already occurring simply by excluding stock from this water way.

Merryn also has underway is a small trial to re-establish 50 rushes and sedges along the Chapman Brook in an area that is dominated by a thick overstory of native taxandria , more commonly known as juniper myrtle , the Noongar peoples know the tree as watti .

A more detailed guide on using rushes and sedges in revegetation of wetland areas can be found here. (Source: Water & Rivers Commission - River Restoration)

Future Farming -

farming smarter, not harder

Advancements in data and technology mean the Australian agricultural industry is forecast to double by 2030 (Source: Agricultural output soars as technology takes over, Financial Review 17th February, 2016) . The future of farming will be an exciting blend of the old and the new; technology and tradition working to complement each other and not compete.

This PwC article "Future of Farming - A data-driven destiny?" gives a glimpse into this brave new world where precision farming, smart farms, driverless tractors & drones will become the norm rather the exception.

We'll be taking a look at some of these technologies ourselves in our "Future Farming" Lower South West Hub Spring Field Day. The field day is an exciting opportunity to see how ag tech is already being used by catchment farmers, plus we'll also be exploring other non tech farming opportunities that have a potential bright future in our region.

To find out more about this event see below in our Events section and stay tuned for our event invitation coming out to you soon.

In the Know!

The Internet of Things (IoT)

Continuing on the theme of 'Future Farming' it seemed timely for this edition's 'In the Know' to feature a piece about IoT .. but what exactly is it?

The Internet of Things is about allowing objects to be sensed and controlled remotely across existing infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct integration between the physical world and computer based systems – or simply put, making ‘dumb’ things ‘smart’ by connecting them to the Internet. This results in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit.

This technology is driving the concept of ‘precision agriculture’ which is the use of technology aimed at improving growers’ decision-making through data analytics. It includes software, such as big data solutions and farm management tools, and hardware, such as sensors, drones and satellites.

To understand more on this then grab a coffee, sit down for half an hour, & to listen to Adam Spencer's fascinating discussion with Australian farmers on how IoT is powering Australia’s agricultural future.

Podcast: Agriculture Industry Embracing the Internet of Things

Upcoming Events with Lower Blackwood LCDC

The Lower South West Hub

Spring Field Day

Join us for our inaugural Spring Field Day. With the theme of 'Future Farming' it promises to be an action & information packed event with topics focusing on local landholders' sustainable agriculture solutions for future proofing their businesses. These include:

Pasture technology and biomass measurement for improving pasture growth productivity.
Trial site visit - a paddock walk to see the benefits of using soil testing to make better fertiliser decisions
Drones - What they can do for my business.
Micro-Abattoirs- future opportunities & how to go about it
The Glenarty Road journey, the challenges and rewards of Agritourism

Where? Various locations in the catchment.

When? 11.00am to 5.00pm, Thursday, October 25th.

Logistics: Travel - by bus, Catering - a cut lunch will be provided & the event will conclude with nibbles and a glass of wine at Glenarty Road.

More details will be in 0ur event invitation, coming out to you very soon, but in the meantime if your want to know more or to register then contact:

Kate Tarrant, LCDC Communications Officer

T: 9758 4023 | M: 040 920 3056 | E: kate.tarrant@lowerblackwood.com.au

This event proudly bought to you by:

Other Events You Might Want to Attend

THREATENED FAUNA MONITORING SHORT COURSE

This short course focuses on monitoring threatened species including Black-Cockatoos, Western Ringtail Possums and Shorebirds. The program involves a mix of theory and practice including field surveys conducted to best practice. It will be lead by discipline experts including , Dr Shaun Molloy (possums) and Dr Sora Estrella (shorebirds).

Where? ECU Bunbury Campus

When? 13th to 16th November 2018