Getting to Know our Region’s Broad Acre Farmers 

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Getting to Know our Region’s Broad Acre Farmers 

In November and December 2021, friend of NACC NRM, Rachel Mason, and our Sustainable Agriculture Project Officer Anna, interviewed 72 broad acre farmers in the City of Greater Geraldton, and Shires of Chapman Valley and Northampton as part of the Regional Drought Resilience Plan.

The interviews were conducted with the aim of documenting farmers’ personal experiences with drought and the effect it had on themselves, their businesses, and their wider community. The results from Rachel and Anna’s interviews will be used to inform the Regional Drought Resilience Plan (RDRP) that NACC NRM is currently developing in partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and the Mid West Development Commission.

The farmers they interviewed ranged between 20 – 70+ years. Most of them were between 40 to 60 years old (64%), with roughly 11 to 30 years of experience in the agricultural industry (65%).  The businesses that were owned or managed by the farmers were majority (64%) mixed operations, having both cropping and livestock enterprises. Farm sizes ranged from 1,200 ha to 26,000 ha. Most of the farms were 1,200 to 5,000 ha in size. As it was harvest season, 41% of the interviews were conducted inside a header!

Out of the 72 farmers, 98% experienced the 2006-2007 drought. Some remember the late 1970’s as being a notable drought period, and others recalled the 2010’s as a sequence of dry seasons. 

The farmers were asked how they would define the difference between a dry season and a drought. The two main responses for this question were that a drought and dry season could be defined by how much rainfall you received or by how much your production was reduced. The clearest explanation that a farmer gave was to split a growing season into 3 parts: the start, middle and finish. If rain is received in all parts, it is a good season. If rain is only received in two of these parts it is a dry season, and if rain is only received in one part it is a drought.

During the 2006-2007 drought the main reoccurring experiences were financial worries and being very conscious of spending money, selling/agisting livestock, buying in livestock feed at very high prices and putting in a reduced cropping or full cropping.

70% of farmers either themselves or had someone in the family go off farm to work during the drought. Working off farm was beneficial for their mental health and it provided an alternative income source.

The biggest concerns of people during this time where their finances, the welfare of their livestock, the amount of soil erosion that was occurring and the viability of the business and if it would survive through the drought.

Most farmers said that the main effect the last major drought had on their community was that people left the area or community. The community shrinking in size took a severe toll on people’s mental health. Small businesses and agricultural support businesses within these communities suffered during this period and young people were not coming back to the family farm.

Majority (85%) of farmers believe they have changed the way they run their businesses now due to their experiences during the drought, and many (30%) remarked that they believe it has made their businesses stronger. Ways that people have changed their practices since the drought include keeping more livestock feed on hand or reducing their stocking rates. Majority (80%) of the farm businesses interviewed East around Mullewa and farms North around Yuna, permanently destocked during the drought or shortly after. The majority (90%) of these businesses never returned to livestock.

The farmers are now more conscious of making risky decisions like having large input costs at seeding or leaving minimal ground cover. Others are more conscious of getting into large amounts of debt. Farmers are dry seeding more of their program or making sure they can seed their program quickly to take advantage of any early rain. Businesses have also become conscious of their soil moisture and water use efficiency, and have adopted practices such as soil amelioration, liming, fallows and perennial pastures.

The main response (60%) for how farming businesses can prepare for droughts was to be financially strong, have minimal debt and lots of cash on hand. Others believed that only the experience of a drought can prepare you for another one. Many of the farmers believed that the government can support a community to prepare for drought is to ensure that community resources and services are maintained and that community events are supported. Many believed having a better understanding of the season outlook early on would make their business more resilient and reduce their risk. Some other common responses were investing in agricultural education and research, and financial support/schemes.

We would like to thank everyone who was involved in these interviews as they were incredibly generous with their time and knowledge, during one of the busiest times of the year for their business. People were also very understanding that we were asking about their experiences during drought, in the best season on record for many businesses. Anna is still out and about currently interviewing horticulture growers and First Nation landholders and allied organisations this January.

For more information, please visit the Future Drought Fund website, DPIRD Drought Resilience Program website, Regional Drought Resilience Planning webpage or contact NACC NRM’s Senior Conservation Planning Officer, Dr Amanda Bourne (0474 652 595; amanda.bourne@nacc.com.au).

This program supported by DPIRD, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

Anna Cornell – Sustainable Agriculture Project Officer

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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.