A Growing Interest in Native Grasses

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Have you ever considered growing native grasses on your property?

There is a building interest in exactly that among growers in the Northern Agricultural Region. This was clear from the great turnout at our recent Native Grasses workshop in Perenjori . Participants travelled from near and far to attend the day, starting with a bus trip and field walk to three different sites!

The sites included a carbon tree farm, a roadside regeneration site, and a site that was established with fodder shrubs and South African perennial grasses over 13 years ago. Since then, native grasses have appeared in the system.

Each site provided opportunities for different discussions and questions. Some key observations included:

  • The massive effect that vegetation has on the temperature of the soils. Where vegetation is established, it buffers the extremes temperatures that bare ground experiences. In doing so it creates a micro-climate more conducive to greater plant germination.
  • Native grass seeds are present in the existing seed banks in our soil and will still germinate in the right conditions. However, not all species that once grew in the location will be present now and may need to be introduced.  
  • Land can be over-rested. i.e. it needs disturbance in some form to keep vegetation in a growing phase and stimulate native grasses to grow. Incorporating animals into the system is one way to introduce the required disturbance.

After a hot field walk, we spent the rest of the workshop listening to the speakers from the cool comfort of the air-conditioned pavilion!

In addition to his duties as a veterinary officer for DPRID, Roy Butler has observed and measured the effects of native grasses on his sheep for three decades. Roy’s key take-home messages are to pay attention and observe what is going on in your paddocks. Find out what is growing and observe what your livestock are eating.  Be sceptical of feed value charts – plants are always changing and the resultant protein/fibre/digestibility etc… of a plant will change throughout the year and depending on rainfall.

Todd Erickson followed with a fascinating presentation on seed dormancy and germination. King’s Park Science have been working on some incredible technology to improve the germination success of native grasses. Flaming treatments, seed coating and smoke treatments are some of the most beneficial techniques they have been working with. Soil conditions will also have a significant impact on germination rates.

Tim Wiley (Tierra Australia) has been involved with perennial vegetation systems for many years, all over WA. His understanding of the landscape and the interactions between vegetation, soils and hydrology are very insightful. Key take-home message from Tim – find ways to have more perennials in your systems because they can help to fix your soil fertility. Many areas that would be considered too poor for cropping could be perfect for establishing perennial fodder systems. Diversity is king, and native grasses can make up a key component of this diversity. If you can maintain a system with a minimum of 50% groundcover, you will stop wind erosion.

Local Perenjori farmer Rod Butler, rounded out the successful day with some of his learnings in the last few years concerning stock management.  Rod is convinced that encouraging and maintaining native grasses in your fodder systems requires a change of thinking about how grazing is managed. Short intense grazing periods with longer rest periods. One obvious benefit to this system is the reduced likelihood of the tastiest species being grazed out of the system. Rod follows holistic grazing management practices and utilises those on two of the sites visited earlier in the day (See here for more information on holistic management  https://savory.global/holistic-management/ )

If you are interested in establishing native grasses, or other groundcovers and fodder shrubs on your property, contact our Sustainable Agriculture Program Coordinator, Callum Love and ask him about our Growing Great Ground incentives. Eligibility requirements apply. Callum Love: Callum.love@nacc.com.au

For more information about native grasses or the workshop, please contact our RALF team: Lizzie King (0447 361 335) or Annabelle Garratt (0448 986 879).

This workshop was supported by NACC NRM through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Lizzie King & Annabelle Garratt – Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitators

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In 2020-21 I talked about ‘raising the bar’. In 2021-22 we worked on setting the bar on fire. Over the last 12 months, the team at NACC NRM has not stopped.

The Sustainable Agriculture team has extended the program’s reach through collaborations with grower groups in the regions. Specifically, the Beyond Reasonable Drought project and Grower Group Alliance – South West WA Drought Innovation Hub – Geraldton Node project. The Beyond Reasonable Drought partnership with grower groups supported farmers across the region to improve the environmental sustainability of their agricultural production and drought resilience. The outcomes of this project have been consolidated through our successful Expression of Interest to the South West WA Drought Innovation Hub, with support from grower groups across the region, to host the Geraldton Node of the Hub. The program continues to focus on working with agricultural networks to share technical expertise and provide opportunities that will improve land management practices in agriculture across the region.

The conservation outcomes of ranger teams have expanded through work on several land tenures. Maintaining Heritage sites such as Willi Gulli, Racecourse Paddock and Buller River has long been a priority. During 2021-22, the teams have increasingly focused on threatened species and ecosystems.

To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

Similarly, the Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporate ranger team have contributed positively to Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo populations by installing artificial hollows and habitat restoration.

All ranger teams have collected native seed, propagated native plants for restoration, and planted native vegetation in key locations across the NAR. Seed collection provides valuable industry experience and has facilitated the planting of over 100,000 seedlings during the year.   

In September 2021, the NACC NRM team delivered the WA Threatened Species Forum, held in tandem with the National Malleefowl Forum. Given the impact of COVID and the timing of this event, having more than 100 delegates from all over Australia was a significant achievement. The two Forums brought together 12 events over five days and featured 14 local artists, 25 businesses and 36 youth participants.

Following the successful relaunch of our updated NARvis, NACC NRM was invited to help lead a significant piece of strategic planning work for the region with Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. With funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the consortia delivered a Regional Drought Resilience Plan covering the shires of Northampton and Chapman Valley and the City of Greater Geraldton, along with significant technical analysis of drought vulnerability for the South West land division. The development of this plan also included extensive community consultation to ensure that local knowledge and technical advice guided the development of priorities for action.

This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

It was a busy year for events with face-to-face events becoming commonplace again. During 2021-22 we hosted events in Gingin, Moora, Dalwallinu, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Walkaway, Nabawa, Perenjori, Kalannie and Morawa. We supported events in Karakin, Thundellara, Perenjori, Paynes Find, Wubin, Cataby, Warradarge, Northampton, Yuna, Dalwallinu and Dandaragan.

We also supported on-ground works throughout the region, including at the following locations Yuna, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Merkanooka, Goodlands, Kalannie, Bunjil, Yardarino, Canna, Kondut, Latham, Kadathinni, Nabawa, Red Gully, Sandy Gully, Waddy Forrest, Devils Creek, Perenjori, Bowgada, Ellendale, Wandana, Namban, Hill River, Warradarge, Gillingarra, Regans Ford and Moonyanooka.

Our region is vast – slightly larger than Tasmania, which for comparison, is serviced by three separate NRM organisations. Covering the NAR region and its many environmental threats is challenging. We continue to focus on partnerships and collaboration to address this challenge. We know that by working with our community through passionate delivery of collaborative on-ground projects and education, the community will value and actively protect our region’s natural capital.

This year we have launched a new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP Working Group consulted widely and developed an Innovate RAP which Reconciliation Australia approved in March 2022. The activities to fulfil these commitments are now in full swing.

Sadly, at the end of 2021, we farewelled former NACC NRM CEO Shelley Spriggs, who lost a long battle with cancer. Shelley was an inaugural inductee to the NRM Leadership Honour Roll. I will always be grateful for her guidance and no-nonsense approach, not to mention her passion for life.

While we have said farewell to some, we have welcomed many new faces across all programs, including our Administration team. We have also hosted a school-based trainee from Nagle Catholic College who has been working towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. This trial position has been very successful, and we look forward to making this opportunity available again in 2023.

During 2022 we have taken on new projects that align with our organisational and program objectives, and we have successfully completed some great initiatives that support continued conservation and sustainability outcomes. I want to thank the whole team who continue to go above and beyond for the organisation and each other proving their ongoing commitment to our purpose and our values.