Drought Resilient Landscapes

   

2022-2024 UNE Drought Resilient Pasture Landscapes

An initiative by the University of New England (UNE) aims to ensure that when the next dry hits, the region’s farmers are better equipped to manage their way through it.

Farmers participating in the project learn to navigate climate variability and drought conditions using a range of indicators for success, including improved farm productivity, ground cover, soil organic matter, reduced weeds, erosion and rainfall runoff.

The knowledge gained will be shared among “communities of practice” through regional Landcare networks. Two networks, the Glen Innes Natural Resources Advisory Committee (GLENRAC Inc.) and Southern New England Landcare Ltd (SNEL), are partners in the project.

The project has been running for 18 months with eight groups of farmers receiving coaching to assess pastures and develop feed budgets. Groups were trained in Ag360, a UNE designed online software tool that can record farm details and predict farm parameters such as soil moisture, pasture growth and forecasted animal weight.

Armidale based RAMHP coordinator, Andy Daley was invited to the final coaching sessions in Glen Innes, Walcha and Guyra to deliver a session on stress and decision making.

 
The Walcha & Guyra groups pictured above

You can learn more about this project here.