Another year has flown by and Skylea and I are approaching our two year anniversary as the Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitators for the Limestone Coast Landscape Board.

It has been an interesting year with COVID-19 restrictions making all of us ‘think outside the square’. But despite all the COVID-19 restrictions, we would like to thank you all for your support, the conversations, and all the learning and connections we have made while promoting sustainable agriculture in the Limestone Coast.

If you have any ideas on how Skylea and I can make AgConnect a better resource for you, please email us:

• Skylea McLean – skylea.mclean@sa.gov.au
• Eykolina Benny – eykolina.benny@sa.gov.au

We wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we look forward to future conversations, learning and connections with you all in 2021!

A new incursion of Mexican Feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima) has been identified in the Limestone Coast.  Mexican Feathergrass can thrive in the southern agricultural zone, and if left unchecked, threatens grazing and biodiversity.

Mexican Feathergrass is a perennial tussock grass with fine, in-rolled leaves. Long fine awns give the seeding heads a feathery appearance.

Mexican Feathergrass is a weed the Limestone Coast Landscape Board (LC Landscape Board) aim to eradicate from the region and prevent further incursions. The LC Landscape Board encourage members of the public to be vigilant and report tussock grass presence.

Please contact your local Limestone Coast Landscape Officer for control advice, and visit the PIRSA website for more information about this plant.

Rabbits are regarded as one of agriculture’s most costly pest animal. Rabbits selectively graze on native vegetation, crops and pastures, consuming the most palatable species and leaving behind the rest.

The most efficient way to control rabbits is to coordinate your baiting program with your adjoining landholders.

Limestone Coast Landscape Officers help landholders control rabbits by providing information, advice and integrated control services. Landscape Officers can provide:

• Advice on pest control such as best control methods and timing of control
• Bait and equipment to assist with your rabbit control program
• Publications and factsheets

If you need assistance with rabbit control, please contact your local Landscape Officer or call 08 8735 1177.

More information can be found on the PIRSA website.

RabbitScan is part of FeralScan, which is a free resource for landholders, Landcare groups, community groups, local Councils, professional pest controllers and biosecurity groups. It is very easy to use!

What to record:

• Rabbit activity, such as sightings and warrens
• Damage, such as soil erosion
• Control activities, such as warren ripping
• Disease in rabbit populations, such as RHDV

Benefits of using RabbitScan:

• Develop a property or local area map of rabbit activity to guide control efforts
• Work together with your neighbours to undertake coordinated control
• Notify your local community or landholder group about rabbit activity and disease presence

If you need assistance with rabbit control, please contact your Landscape Officer or call 08 8735 1177.

Emerging summer weeds can cause havoc to agricultural industries and the environment, and are best controlled in the coming weeks.

Emerging summer weed species include African lovegrass, Caltrop, Bathurst burr, Khaki weed, Innocent weed and Silverleaf nightshade. Checking known weed sites early and detecting new incursions when plants have emerged enables effective treatment, saving time, money and ongoing problems.

Landholders are urged to check known sites early, and identify new incursions. Correct identification can inform control strategies, and strict hygiene can limit further spread.

Landholders are urged to contact their local Landscape Officer for identification and treatment advice through the Limestone Coast Landscape Board offices at Mt Gambier on 8735 1177, and Keith on 8755 1620, and visit the website www.landscape.sa.gov.au/lc.

The Limestone Coast Paddock Tree Project, funded by a Smart Farm Small Grant, aims to create a new generation of paddock trees in the region by enabling landholders to plant new trees, and to apply best practice and cost effective methods of sustainable agriculture to preserve existing trees.

Paddock trees are an icon of the Australian landscape and provide a number of significant benefits to sustainable agriculture including shade and shelter for stock and carbon sequestration.

Trees for Life are keen to hear from landholders who are interested in planting new trees and protecting existing trees.

For more information you can head to the Trees for Life website, email the Project Coordinator, Kelsey Bennet (KelseyB@treesforlife.org.au), or call Trees for Life on 08 8406 0500.

AWI wants your maggots!

Get involved in a project to better understand the blowflies in your region.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne are seeking assistance from growers across the country to collect blowfly samples on their property for genetic analysis. This AWI funded project is to identify genetic differences in blowfly populations across Australia. The DNA from these samples will be examined for genetic changes that could be associated with insecticide resistance, determine population structure and movement of blowflies to look at ways to assist areawide resistance management planning, as well as inform research towards developing a vaccine against flystrike. 

More information can be found on the AWI website.

Article sourced from AWI.

DairySA together with the Central Conference Reference Committee are thrilled to be presenting the 2021 DairySA Central Conference in March, to be held at McCracken Country Club Victor Harbor.

The program will be bracketed into consecutive sessions addressing a range of themes - from delving into the ‘inside story’ of milk processors, their plans for the future and how they will sustain supplier confidence, ‘Investing in the Farm’ – understanding alternative funding options and what we can learn from corporatisation, through to Regenerative Agriculture and its role in dairy, and emerging technologies - what do they look like at the farm gate?

Date: Thursday 18 March

Venue: McCracken Country Club, Victor Harbor

Registration through Eventbrite.

Article provided by DiarySA.

The two recent DairySA Ladies Lunches saw nearly 100 women in dairy gather at both Lake Breeze Wines, Langhorne Creek and The Apple Farm, OB Flat to enjoy lunch with friends and colleagues, and to hear from Naracoorte based personal life coach Mandy Curnow on the importance of self-care.

Mandy presented tips on how to reduce stress, including the importance of mindful conversations, being aware of the ground and space around you, taking time out to do something you enjoy, ensuring your workspace is clutter free, prioritising a list of ‘Not To Do’s’, and recording daily gratitudes in a diary.

Like to see more pictures from the day? Head to: https://www.facebook.com/stockjournal/posts/10160385139939622

Article provided by DairySA.

GRDC proactive approach needed as soil acidity issues spread

Soil acidity could be the cause of unexplained yield losses for grain growers, with researchers reporting a growing problem in South Australia.

Growers are therefore encouraged to soil test, especially given that much of SA’s 4.4 million hectares of productive farmland has a topsoil pH below 5.5 (measured in calcium chloride) or has the potential to become acidic in the near future.

SA Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) soil consultant, Melissa Fraser, who features in a new GRDC ‘The lowdown on subsurface acidity’ podcast, says the natural soil acidification process is accelerated by productive modern farming practices, and the problem is occurring deeper in the soil.

More information can be found on the GRDC website.

Article sourced from GRDC.

The Limestone Coast Leadership Program’s (LCLP) aim is to ‘Unearth our treasures’ by supporting and building community capacity. This leadership program is about stretching the capabilities of our leaders and emerging leaders to ensure they have the relevant skills, emotional intelligence, cross-sector collaboration skills and abilities to work with, and influence others for the benefit of the region.

This innovative program, delivered throughout the region by the Leaders Institute of South Australia, will be open to individuals who are ready to broaden their leadership capabilities and impact through personal growth, self-empowerment and relationship building.

More information about this program can be found on the Limestone Coast Leadership Program website.

A series of on-line information sessions providing more detail about the program have been set up, with registrations through Eventbrite.

It’s time to prepare for this year’s bushfire season. Consider how you will stay informed of weather, fire ban and incident information throughout the season. If you have firefighting equipment check that it is working and is set up ready in case of a fire.

Tidying up around your property can lower the potential impacts of a fire. For rules about vegetation management and fire prevention around dwellings and fence lines go to the Department for Environment and Water website. It is important for you to consider your physical and emotionally preparedness to respond to a fire.

If you haven’t already, complete your bushfire plan today. The CFS ‘5 Minute Bushfire Plan’  or the Red Cross’s emergency management planning tools are useful resources fore creating a plan.

Tourism Industry Development Fund

The South Australian Government recognises the huge impact that COVID-19 has had on the tourism sector across regional South Australia.

The Tourism Industry Development Fund is designed to support and stimulate private sector investment in new and improved regional accommodation, and the development of quality tourism product and experiences. It aims to assist in the COVID recovery of regional tourism by encouraging regional operators to improve and diversify so they can attract more visitors and get a higher return on their offering.

Through the South Australian Tourism Commission, the State Government is committing $20 million to the Tourism Industry Development Fund over two years to support regional tourism in South Australia.

Applications close: 31 March 2022 or until all funds have been allocated.

More information and eligibility criteria can be found on the South Australian Tourism Commission website.

Get involved!

AgConnect promotes the latest sustainable agricultural news and events across the Limestone Coast. If you have an upcoming event or agricultural news you would like to share contact us:

Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitators

Skylea Mclean skylea.mclean@sa.gov.au and Eykolina Benny eykolina.benny@sa.gov.au