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    EOI AG.Biz Ready Northern Tablelands

    Do you have a farming business story to share? Would you like to recieve $100 to do it?

    Resilience Ready in partnership with Southern New England Landcare is looking for 10 farmers from across the New England to share their stories in a short 2 minute video.

    Topics include:

    • -Transforming knowledge into revenue
    • -Understanding who’s a linchpin
    • -Having the right insurance
    • Being happy at work
    • Staying financially viable in business
    • Having the right team on your farm
    • Developing solid business networks
    • Turning disasters into opportunities
    • Dealing with financial hardship
    • Protecting against cyber attack

    If you have a story to share please get in touch with Elizabeth Rosser or Bekah Baynard-Smith for more information and to register your interest.

    PasturePlantsFrontCover320Graziers: who remembers this great book?

    Pasture Plants of the Slopes and Tablelands of NSW, by Lewis Kahn, Belinda Heard and Wal Whalley, has been so popular over the years that it has been out of print for some time.

    Southern New England Landcare has been working with the authors to source funding and prepare a Third Edition, which is almost ready.

    wether trialWould you like participate in a unique benchmarking activity designed to assess and elevate your flock's performance against regional and industry standards?

    The Northern Tablelands wether trial is a long-standing tradition in the sheep farming community in the New England region of New South Wales and it is looking for new participants!

    This trial has been conducted for over 40 years, with its roots dating back to the 1950s.

    At the core of the Northern Tablelands Wether Trial is a robust benchmarking initiative aimed at setting new standards in wool growing excellence.

    This trial isn't just about participation; it's about measuring, improving, and leading the way in the sheep industry.

    Seasons Greetings2

    Landchat122FrontPage320Landchat showcases the wonderful achievements of our members and groups, and Landchat 122 is no exception.

    Members - you will receive your full colour hard-copy of Landchat 122 in your letter box in the coming days. Enjoy it at your leisure over the summer. If you are not a member, download copy by clicking on the image.

    IMG 5654 RAY SOUTHSouthern New England Landcare held its Annual General Meeting at Uralla Community Centre from 6pm on Wednesday 15th November.

    Special guest speaker on the night was local Landcarer, Ray South. Ray is a past recipient of the John Winter Irving Bequest, which he used to study and implement Syntropic Agriculture, the topic of his talk. 

    The composition of the Southern New England Landcare board of directors changed this year, with the retirement of two board members.

    Bill Perrottet volunteered his time on the board for an outstanding 12 years, culminating in his final year as President. The board and membership thanked Bill for his significant contribution over many years, noting that he will be missed. Bill reassured everyone that he is still the group respresentative for the Guyra Landcare Network and intends to support biannual member musters.

    brett jordan hMmsCFYJBb8 unsplash320As part of her work, Kruthika Nagananda, Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator with Walcha Council, has been interviewing community members to understand their experience and learnings from recent disasters.

    Kruthika says that personally, the stories have given her greater understanding, and helped give a positive boost to her work.

    The stories coming out of Kruthika's interviews really do have a powerful influence, and Southern New England Landcare would like to  share these stories in a series over the coming weeks...

    Southern New England Landcare acknowledges Kruthika Nagananda as the recorder of the following story.

    Story # 1 - Rob Blomfield

    Dear oh dear, when does it all end? From going through the storm, to drought, to bushfires, to COVID, and unbelievable rain for the last three years; I realised that it all ends! It made me realise that I can survive and be resilient.

    bennyjackson222664unsplash320The Annual General Meeting of Southern New England Landcare will be held at 6pm on 15th November 2023 at the Uralla Community Centre.

    Our guest speaker will be Ray South with an introduction to Syntropic Agriculture!

    All members and friends are welcome. Group Representatives (Company Members) will receive their business paper pack in the mail in the coming days.

    A light supper will be provided during the meeting.

    Download the meeting notice and agenda here.

    Please RSVP for catering purposes by Wednesday 8th November 2023 by emailing our office or calling 02 6772 9123.

    More information on our events page here.

    Janeen pic 320Southern New England is excited to welcome Janeen Robb to the team in the role of Landholder Management Agreement Project Officer.

    "I've been involved in a wide range of projects such as Office of Environments & Heritage’s Dryland Salinity Project, monitoring the importance of remnant vegetation to native birds, Armidale TreeGroup’s early dieback tree planting projects, and a vegetation mapping project form the Murray-darling Basin Commission," said Janeen.

    Matt Elsley320In October this year Southern New England Landcare welcomed Matt Elsley to the team as the Koala Conservation Officer for the Northern Tablelands Regional Koala Partnership.

    Matt is excited about his Koala Conservation Officer role with Landcare.

    "This role provides an opportunity to actively develop and collaborate on threatened species conservation and strategies using my scientific knowledge and ecologically focussed background," said Matt.

    320 UrandangieA University of New England (UNE) project is teaching farmers how to avoid overestimating feed availability this summer.

    With a hot summer on the horizon, UNE is helping farmers across the Northern Tablelands to drought-proof their properties and minimise impacts of the next big dry.

    Pasture coach and project officer for the Drought Resilient Pasture and Landscapes (DRPL) project, Jaimi-lee Edwards, is mentoring local graziers to effectively assess pastures, create feed budgets, and use cutting edge tools to predict weather conditions.

    nuffield MichaelTaylor 320On 12th September, Michael Taylor, landholder at Kentucky and member of Southern New England Landcare, was awarded one of 24 Nuffield Scholarships – a well-deserved Award to a hard-working knowledgeable local farmer.

    Michael received his scholarship for drought resilience – to undertake research that will help develop and support new ideas to manage dry conditions for longer periods.

    2023 RAB Community Partnership Program reps

    Board Members Bev Stubberfield and David Steller represented Southern New England Landcare at the recent Community Partnership Program Awards held by Regional Australia Bank.

    They were presented a cheque to the value of more than $9,000 which will help Southern New England Landcare support local landcare projects even more!

    Regional Australia Bank account holders can get involved by nominating Southern New England Landcare Ltd as their recipient group to support. It doesn't cost the account holder anything, as Regional Australia Bank contributes!

    To get involved take a look at the flyer or click here to see link which explains what the program is and how it works!

     

    Yellow bell frogThe team of Frog Researchers from the Australian Museum is on the hunt for the Yellow-Spotted Bell frog, once common around Guyra.

    The frog has not been seen in the area for over 40 years and has a very loud, distinctive call like a motorbike.

    Mullon InstituteAbout the Institute

    The Mulloon Institute is a leading research, education and advocacy organisation committed to building resilient rural and regional communities by supporting the long-term, sustainable growth of Australian agriculture.

    The Mulloon Institute work brings about transformational change and actively contributes towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of clean water and sanitation, improved life below water and improved life on the land through landscape rehydration and restoration.

    Dam FoggyLandholders in the Armidale region who want to understand the water cycle and improve resilience of their rural landscape are encouraged to attend a three-day Rehydrating Your Farm Landscape bootcamp on 17-19 October 2023.

    Armidale Regional Council is funding the bootcamp to assist the region to address water quality issues and retain more water in the landscape, an objective of Council’s Catchment Water Quality Strategic Plan 2022-2032.

    Facilitated by Southern New England Landcare and presented by the Mulloon Institute the bootcamp will introduce landholders to a range of landscape hydration strategies through activities that blend scientific principles and practical skills.

    2023 SP Infographic image 320Take a look at how much Southern New England Landcare achieved towards its strategic objectives in the 12 months to 30 June 2023!

    Our mission is to lead, connect and enable our communities to reach their sustainability goals in a changing environment.

    Southern New England Landcare congratulates all its members and friends for the great work you've been doing in our region.

    DSC 0236 600Kristy Youman from Soil Land Food delivered a dynamic workshop on Soils to farmers and graziers from across the New England at recent workshops held in Guyra and Walcha.

    The first in a series of workshops entitled ‘Reboot Your Grazing Landscapes’, day one explored the essentials of soils - understanding your topsoil, soil types, soil health and soil fertility and the 4 steps to soil success.

    90% of participants said that their soil knowledge had increased, and they came away from the day with different strategies to implement at home.

    DSC 0283 600We all understand that healthy soils are fundamentally linked to strong regional communities through their connections to agriculture and the environment.

    We have the opportunity to improve soil health, by strengthening soil knowledge and capability. This is one of the main goals of the National Soil Strategy.

    Tell us about soil extension/advisory needs in your area by completing the National Soil Survey at

    Picture1 320pixelHow accurate are our visual estimates of herbage mass? Are you worried about how much feed you have available, as conditions dry?

    “Uncertainty about estimating herbage mass (pasture availability) can undermine confidence in the feed budgeting process, and that’s not warranted”, says University of New England pasture coach Jaimi-lee Edwards. 

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