Come on a tour of a local farming property and hear from the land manager about farm practices undertaken to improve biodiversity and farm production including:

• soil health and how your farm can benefit
• the benefits of protecting and planting native vegetation to improve biodiversity and ecosystem functions
• helpful information in relation to shelterbelts and revegetation
• sustainable farming practices
• support with pest plant and animal enquiries
• learn about Limestone Coast Landscape Board incentive grants available for landholders to support native vegetation on your property

Field day details:

• Date: Thursday 13 October
• Time: 9.30 am to 2 pm
• Location: Bray, approximately 20km from Beachport. Specific details of location will be sent to registered attendees

For more information visit the Limestone Coast Landscape Board website. Numbers will be strictly limited, act fast to secure your spot!

Are you interested in attending workshops to learn about the following topics?

• Why are dung beetles desirable?
• What are the known dung beetles in the region?
• How can you identify the different dung beetles?
• What are the management practices around drenching and grazing that will encourage beetle succession?
• Where can you get dung beetles if you don't already have them?

The Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers project was set up to understand how dung beetles may be able to provide a number of benefits to livestock producers such as:

• improving soil in grazing systems
• reduce the spread of diseases and insect pests, such as bush flies
• increase pasture health
• reduce nutrient run-off into waterways

Email Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitators Eykolina Benny and Skylea McLean for more information.

This project is supported by Meat & Livestock Australia, through funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program.

The Landcare Farming Program is currently seeking Expressions of Interest from individuals, groups and organisations who have terrific and innovative stories to tell about managing for healthy landscapes in the agricultural sector.

Landcare knows great work is generating some compelling results out there and they want to support you to share this work with a wider audience.  They will work with you to determine the best way to generate these stories and support you in the process.

Pulling together great stories takes time and effort, and they want to support you with funding and help you tell others about the good work that is underway in your area that is aligned with the Landcare Farming Themes of:

• vegetation, soils and waterways
• managing pasture
• biodiversity
• building drought resilience
• carbon flows
• me and my people

Applications for this this Landcare Farming Program Expression of Interest will close on Monday 24 October. 

Please see the Landcare Farming Program EoI website for more information. 

Join agroecologist/viticulturist Dr Mary Retallack (Retallack Viticulture Pty Ltd), and special guest presenter Barossa EcoGrower Dan Falkenberg (Viticulturist, Eden Hall Wines - current Vineyard of the Year award winner) in the Coonawarra where they will discuss native grasses, predatory fauna and soil health.

EcoGrower Dan Falkenberg will discuss:

• establishing and maintaining native grasses and forbs in vineyards
• the importance of fauna (such as arthropods, lizards, insectivorous/raptor birds) 
• brewing compost tea, improving soil health and reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers.

This seminar is free for all growers (perennial, annual and broadacre crops) in the region and includes drinks and nibbles for all attendees.

Seminar details:

• Date: Thursday 27 October
• Time: 2 pm to 5 pm
• Location: Katnook Estate, Coonawarra

More information about this event can be found on eventbrite.

This project is jointly funded through the Limestone Coast Landscape Board and the Australian Government' s National Landcare Program

Farmers for Climate Action is offering a Climate-Smart Farming Scholarship to 20 innovative farmers who are emerging leaders in their industries. The scholarship will help farmers to increase their farming enterprise’s resilience to a changing climate and understand the latest developments in climate change adaptation, mitigation and policy. This presents a career-defining opportunity to set you up for future success in an uncertain climate.

Over five months the successful farmers will learn from global climate experts, Nobel Prize winners and then meet up with other innovative farmers in Canberra. The scholarship will be mostly online, culminating in a three day event in March 2023.

For more information head to the Farmers for Climate Action website.  Applications close 24 October 2022.

Rural Women's Award

The Rural Women’s Award is Australia’s leading Award empowering and celebrating the inclusive and courageous leadership of women involved in Australia’s rural and emerging industries, businesses, and communities.

Each state and territory winner receives a $15,000 grant provided by Platinum Sponsor Westpac, as well as access to professional development opportunities and national Alumni networks.

Rural Women's Acceleration Grant

The AgriFutures Rural Women’s Acceleration Grant is a program developed in 2021 to foster growth and development in women involved in Australia’s rural and emerging industries, businesses and communities.

Seven Australian women per annum will be granted with a learning and development bursary of $7,000 to enable them to bring their idea, cause or vision to life.

Applications close for the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award and Rural Women's Accoleration Grant on 19 October 2022.

Land managers have the opportunity to join grain storage specialist Chris Warrick to learn how to manage grain storage sucessfully for the upcoming harvest. 

It is critical that grain producers and livestock farmers with on-farm storage facilities diligently maintain hygiene and monitor their storage facilities, harvesting machinery and equipment. 

Before harvest, it is important to remove any leftover or previous years’ stored grains from silos, storage sheds, harvesting machinery and equipment to reduce the risk of existing insect pests crawling into your freshly harvested grain.

Good fumigation techniques using optimum pressure within properly sealed silos, recommended phosphine dosages and fans to recirculate gases for uniform distribution through grains, will control grain pests.

Grain storage pest workshop details:

• Date: Friday 7 October
• Millicent Soccer Club: 10 am to 12 pm
• Frances Football Club: 3 pm - 5 pm

For more information about this workshop contact Shafiya Hussein on 0437 723 295.

The workshop is a collaborative initiative between PIRSA, PHA, GPA, GRDC and MFMG

The Action Plan will guide national action on Australia’s soil for the first five years of the National Soil Strategy. It will outline initiatives and opportunities to value, manage and improve Australia’s soil and lay a foundation to help guide policy, investment, research, and program design to achieve the vision and objectives of the Strategy.

The Action Plan is not a rigid set of recommendations or actions. It is designed to support all soil stakeholders to respond to local, regional, or national soil challenges that are appropriate for their circumstances.

The Action Plan has been developed in consultation with key soil stakeholder groups and contributions from governments, primary industries, natural resource management organisations, First Nations groups, and academic and research organisations.

Visit the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website for more information and to provide your feedback on the draft Action Plan.

The Limestone Coast Landscape Board has awarded funding to four successful applications in Round 2 of the 2022/2023 Adaptive Agriculture Grants.

The successful grant recipients are:

• Limestone Coast Grape & Wine Council Inc: Sustainable Winegrowing – Greater Limestone Coast
• Thomas Elder Institute: Growing sustainable primary production on the Limestone Coast by bridging the feed gap
• Coonawarra Grape & Wine Inc: Coonawarra Weather Station Network – adding value to data
• Rural Industries Skills Training: Weaners for Profit (WFP) Pilot Program

Additional funding of $100,000 was committed to facilitate Round 2 of Adaptive Agriculture Grants, to support agricultural industry groups deliver projects to build resilience in primary production, and respond to market opportunities in a changing climate.

Visit the Limestone Coast Landscape Board website for more information on the Adaptive Agriculture Grants program.

This project is delivered by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program

The Limestone Coast Landscape Board has formed a Stakeholder Advisory Group for the Lower Limestone Coast Water Allocation Plan review.

The Stakeholder Advisory Group along with broad stakeholder consultation will provide objective advice and recommendations to the Limestone Coast Landscape Board towards the sustainable use, conservation and management of water in the Lower Limestone Prescribed Wells Area.

The Stakeholder Advisory Group is not the only mechanism for groups or individuals to be involved in the Lower Limestone Coast  Water Allocation Plan review and individuals can follow the progress of the review on the project page and sign up for regular updates on the review along with opportunities for being involved at various stages.

The Australian Government is providing $54.4 million over two years to support farmers and land managers to access low-cost soil sampling and certified testing in exchange for sharing their data under the Pilot Soil Monitoring and Incentives Program.

Southern Cross University is assisting land managers in the Limestone Coast to better understand their soils by offering soil sampling and testing services.

Southern Cross University’s Environmental Analysis Laboratory (EAL) will provide soil sampling services and a suite of soil tests for participating land managers.

More information about the National Pilot Soil Monitoring and Incentives Program can be found at the Southern Cross University website, or you can direct your enquiries to soiltest@scu.edu.au or 02 6620 3489.

When you get your soil test results back, contact our Limestone Coast Landscape Board Soils Extension Officer Ehsan Sayad by email or phone him on 0467 739 211 and he will be able to talk you through the results.

Agriculture Victoria Seasonal Risk Agronomist Dale Grey, focuses this webinar on the current seasonal climate outlook for South Australia.

The outlook includes multiple model forecasts for rainfall and temperature and current oceanic, atmospheric and soil moisture conditions.

The recording can be found here - you will need to use the following passcode to access this recording: Sept2022! 

For more information about this webinar, email the.break@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

From 1 September 2022, Australia's Fire Danger Rating System will be improved and simplified, to make it easier for you to make decisions to stay safe on days of fire danger risk.

The move to a simpler system is backed by improvements in science, which will mean better prediction of areas of greater risk on days of fire danger. Its daily forecast tells you how dangerous a bushfire would be if it broke out, and what you need to do to stay safe on Moderate, High, Extreme and Catastrophic days.

Across the country there will be nationally consistent colours and terminology. This means that wherever you go in Australia, and whatever the season or fuels you’re surrounded by, you can understand the level of threat and what you need to do to stay safe. 

For further information on the New Australian Fire Danger Rating System refer to the CFS website.

Be sure to understand your bushfire risk so you can prepare your property and know what to do if a bushfire starts. Preparing for a bushfire will not only help to mitigate the impact of fire on people, homes, animals and businesses but also helps to protect our regions natural resources.

We can all be bushfire ready. There are nine simple steps to surviving a bushfire:

1. Do your 5 minute bushfire plan
2. Talk about your plan to family, neighbours & friends
3. Have flexibility in your plan
4. Clear around your property
5. Have an emergency kit ready
6. Know when to leave and where to go
7. Listen to the weather and know your total fire bans
8. Subscribe to the CFS warning email
9. Check radio, website, social media and news updates

For more information about preparing for bushfire season visit the CFS website.

The Limestone Coast Landscape Board website also has a range of bushfire management resources sourced from a variety of organisations including the CFS, Australia Red Cross, Department for Environment and Water and Department of Primary Industries and Regions.

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

Eykolina Benny: eykolina.benny@sa.gov.au