Regenerative agriculture is in Mitchell East’s blood. Before he was born, his parents Garry and Tracey had already revegetated eroded land and spent years trying to improve soil with carbon-based inputs and less chemicals. Their experiences were not without mishaps. So, when he came home to farm passionfruit under...
Explaining how to build soil carbon, while at the same time promoting soil biology that respires carbon back into the atmosphere, is not a simple task. However, it was made simple by consultant David Hardwick from Soil Land Food who presented at the recent Soils Alive event in the...
An initiative by a South West Landcare group more than ten years ago has stimulated significant change in both the avocado and dairy industries. In 2010, Kathy Dawson of Southern Forests Community Landcare (SFCL, then Warren Catchments Council) held a workshop featuring Dr Syd Shea, who was with the...
DPIRD researchers teamed up with consultancy Integrity Ag in 2020 to develop a carbon emissions footprint for the DPIRD Katanning Research Facility (KRF), a mixed farm that produces grain and sheep products. The analysis takes into account all farm emissions plus upsteam emissions such as the manufacture of agrichemicals,...
Feedback from farmers completing the Grazing Matcher Program has shown just how valuable the program is at improving grazing management for productivity and environmental benefits. After meeting with consultants seven times since April 2021, a group of South-West farmers attended their eighth and final meeting in Lowden recently where...
In October 2021, SWCC supported the Shire of Kojonup to host a tour of David McFall’s property at Cherry Tree Pool to show how he has integrated nature-based values into a productive farming landscape. In this article he describes his efforts to support greater ecosystem function with trees. My...
Since the Paris Agreement in 2015 to limit global warming, supply chains have responded to pressure from institutional investors with an increasing need for sustainability and climate action. Now, multinational agribusinesses are launching Carbon Neutral (CN) strategies, where outputs are produced with lower greenhouse gas emissions and remaining emissions...
When the rules change in Australian Football, the teams that adapt best win out. The same principal applies to farmers and our changing climate, where change, while disruptive, comes with an opportunity for a competitive advantage. Farmers heard about this opportunity at the 2021 Ag Excellence Forum in Adelaide....
Potato growers that use a “hard” pesticide-based approach to pest management that kills beneficial insects will be 100% reliant on further chemical applications. That is according to Dr Paul Horne, Principal at IPM Technologies, who spoke to growers at a Potato Link webinar recently. Dr Horne provided a vivid...
Optimising your stocking rate is closely linked to profitability because it helps to utilise feed on offer without exceeding the land’s carrying capacity or relying too heavily on imported feed. Stocking rate is a key indicator promoted by the Grazing Matcher Program, which currently supports 32 livestock enterprises in...
