Northern Agri Group Spring Field Day: Navigating a Not So Normal Season

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Northern Agri Group Spring Field Day: Navigating a Not So Normal Season

If this year’s weather conditions have proven anything it’s that Australia’s climate can vary from one year to the next and the Northern Agricultural Region is a prime example.

Over the month of June, farmers tipped out between 200-250mm from their rain gauges, the equivalent to two thirds of the annual rainfall. Even now as we wrap up August, the showers continue, serving as both a reminder of last year’s dismal rainfall results and a hopeful boost of confidence in farming again.

From the very dry growing season of 2023 to one of the wettest growing seasons ever experienced in the North, it is no surprise that farmers and agricultural industry around the Northampton, Binnu, Ajana, Ogilvie region came out in high numbers to attend this year’s Northern Agri Group (NAG)’s Spring Field Day this month.

The day kicked off at the cosy Binnu Hall, affectionately known as the community ‘Shed.’ Around 90 attendees were warmly welcomed by Josh Carson, recently appointed Chair of NAG. After yarning over a cuppa and a quick tour of the recently renovated hall, the major sponsors of the day said a few words. It was then time to pile into cars and, amid misty showers and grey skies, head out to the paddock trials.

The first stop of the day was the East Ogilvie National Variety Trial (NVT) site. After splitting into groups, the crew rotated through various speakers who provided valuable insights into crop varieties and their performance in the current conditions. Discussions included:

  • The benefits of low-alkaloid lupins for human consumption.
  • The resilience of new canola varieties, particularly the ‘Emu’ variety.
  • Farmers’ needs and preferences for plant breeding suited to their environments.
  • Impacts of last year’s nitrogen carryover on current crops, especially given the big rain event.

Next, we tackled weed control options in canola before heading back to a local farmer’s shed for lunch. The Northampton District High School P&C treated everyone to an incredible spread of soups, lamb rolls, cakes, and slices.

During lunch, Outback Carbon shared updates on their carbon project and tree planting efforts over the last two years. NACC NRM’s Sustainable Agriculture team then took the stage, with Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator Katrina Sasse discussing her role in supporting the NAR’s farming community to protect and manage on farm natural assets, and encouraging farmers to understand their baseline emissions – refer to one of our past NACC Notes article ‘Australia’s Farming Footprint in Focus’. Regional Drought Resilience Planning Project Officer Yvette Hollings also talked about her role, working on the implementation phase of the regional drought priorities identified in the Regional Drought Resilience Plan (RDRP) completed in 2023.

Post-lunch, participants discussed techniques and strategies for resowing canola in areas or entire paddocks suffering failed germination. This session compared the advantages, disadvantages and costs of aerial resowing with traditional tractor-drawn methods, a valuable conversation considering the amount of resowing that was required this year due to little to no rainfall before June.

The day concluded with a focus on soil health. The group examined a paddock that had undergone soil amelioration several years prior, revealing issues with the amount of clay brought to the surface and the related effects on seedling emergence of subsequent crops. Wayne Parker from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) explained the importance of farmers understanding their soil profiles and clay depth before undertaking major amelioration projects, as the landscape varies significantly across the region.

It was a valuable day of learning, networking and worthwhile conversation. With the season’s unprecedented rainfall patterns, the insights gained will no doubt assist farmers in navigating the challenges and opportunities ahead. Thank you to the Northern Agri Group for hosting!

Sustainable Agriculture Facilitators are supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

Katrina Sasse – Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator

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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.

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