It was wet, but there was undoubtedly an air of optimism in NAG’s spring field day

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 It was wet, but there was undoubtedly an air of optimism in NAG’s spring field day

This year’s winter hasn’t turned-out like we all would have liked it – especially our grain growers across the Northern Agricultural Region, but fortunately, there’s still plenty of optimism around the traps.

This optimism was evident when, despite the poor start of the season, and wet weather on the day, more than 80 farmers and industry representatives turned-up to the Northern Agri Group’s (NAG) popular spring field day last Wednesday.

Reflecting this, NAG tweets from the event used hashtags such as #downbutnotout #bitdryhere #alwayslearning

NAG chairman Ben Cripps said his team was heartened by the excellent turnout of attendees and the high level of interest in this year’s field day, even though the results weren’t as good as they might have liked.

“We always have a field walk and comprehensive tour of our trial site, but there is nothing much to show at the site this year,” said Ben. “The site just hasn’t had any significant rain.”

As a result, the organising committee decided to approach the event differently – presenting a forum at which a number of industry experts presented on a wide range of topics. These included the latest information on using drone technology; livestock and meat quality; an update from the Grower Group Alliance; how to deal with weeds; finance and fertiliser issues in 2018; and interactive talks by three local farmers who shared their experience about what has worked and what hasn’t in this dry start to the year.

Adding to this was an excellent presentation by Neil Bennett of the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology who provided attendees with his insight into the changing Australian climate, and what kinds of tools were available to help farmers make informed management decisions on the farm.

Some of the key messages from Neil’s presentation included:

  • Australia is experiencing climate change now, with impacts being felt by many communities and industry sectors across the country.
  • Average temperature will continue to increase in all seasons.
  • There will most likely be more hot days and warm spells, and fewer frosts in the future.
  • There will be a continuation of the trend of decreasing winter and spring rainfall – with changes in other seasons still unclear.

Another highlight of the day was a presentation by Chris Brooks on how to propagate native plants to improve on-farm regeneration and biodiversity.

The day was then concluded by an inspirational speech by Phil Spriggs of McIntosh and Son, who shared his amazing story about the journey he, Vic Haeusler and Steve Grace (a renowned Australian gospel singer) undertook across Australia via the Simpson Desert to raise awareness of suicide prevention.

NACC Regional Landcare Facilitator Stanley Yokwe, who attended the event, said it was a great day and inspiration for all participants.

“It was a great turn-out, and a great program,” he said. “The entire NAG team is to be congratulated for a very successful day. They’re a great partner of NACC, and we were proud to be associated with such a fine Field Day.”

The NAG field day was supported by NACC through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme as part of the Regional Landcare Facilitator project.

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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.