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Upcoming Events
April
May
Funding and Scholarship Opportunities
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What's Driving your Season? |
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Join the SA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub for a FREE workshop covering the Limestone Coast 2023 seasonal weather forecast and climate update.
Leading SA climate and weather experts Darren Ray and Dr Peter Hayman along with farmer and consultant Barry Mudge will assist growers to understand forecasts, climate prediction models and other climate tools to make better decisions on farm.
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Understande climate drivers such as El Niño, La Niña and the Indian Ocean Dipole and how they influence rainfall, temperature and frost risk at key locations in the Limestone Coast
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Interprete weather station data for practical use
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Explore new climate tools
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Practical application of weather and climate data for on-farm decision making
Event details:
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Date: Thursday 13 April
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Time: 9 am to 12 pm
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Location: Struan House, 74 Struan Road, Struan
Please contact Tamara Zerk by email or phone (0400 765 043) to register for catering purposes.
This event is presented by SA Drought Hub and supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. The SA Drought Hub received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund
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Mixed Farming Workshop and Tour |
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Join MFMG on an interactive workshop combining information sharing and demonstrations to maximise livestock production out of season.
Presenters Cam Nicholson (Nicon Rural Services), Jess Revell (Rumenate Livestock Services) and William van Wettere (University of Adelaide) will cover:
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Trigger points for containment feeding
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Making decisions with the My Farm Dashboard tool
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Using standing crops to fill feed gaps
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Livestock nutrition for summer and autumn
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How heat stress affects sheep reproduction
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Stock containment tour - visit different livestock containment feeding set ups on farms around the Naracoorte Lucindale area
Event details:
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Date: Friday 21 April
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Time: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
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Location: Lucindale Bowling Club
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Cost: MFMG members $50, additional MFMG members $30, non-members $200
Morning tea and lunch provided.
Registrations essential by Monday 18 April.
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Funding for almost Everyone |
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Applications for the 2023/2024 round are OPEN NOW!
The Grassroots Grants program supports individuals, volunteers, community groups and other organisations working on a not for profit basis, with local landscape management projects.
Funding is available for projects over $1,000.
Visit our Grassroots Grants community project page for more information, eligibility criteria, FAQs and inspiration.
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EcoVineyards Event - FREE |
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Image credit: Dr Mary Retallack
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Join agroecologist/viticulturist Dr Mary Retallack, Retallack Viticulture Pty Ltd, who will host an EcoVineyards Program practical soil health field event with special guest presenters:
Dr Eshan Sayad - Limestone Coast Landscape Board:
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Visual Soil Assessment for Vineyards
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Soil macrofauna diversity sampling
Dave Boyd - EcoGrower:
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Tour of the Patrick of Coonawarra EcoVineyards demonstration sit
Event details:
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Date: Thursday 22 June
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Time: 8:30 am
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Location: Patrick of Coonawarra
More information and how to register for this event can be found at Eventbrite.
This project is supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program Smart Farms Small Grants - an Australian Government initiative
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Hort Connections Conference |
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Hort Connections – the largest horticulture conference and trade show in Australia and New Zealand – will be held between 5 - 7 June 2023 at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
Early Bird sales are now available for access to the action-packed three-day event. This includes access to all official Hort Connections events, including the Welcome Reception, Perfection Fresh Breakfast, and the Hort Connections Gala Dinner.
Check out the links below for more information about this conference:
Hort Connections is co-produced by AUSVEG and the International Fresh Produce Association Australia-New Zealand.
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Your Season, Your Success |
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'Your Season, Your Success' has been upgraded from the original training program 'More Lambs More Often', in consultation from leading experts in their field, to assist farmers in adapting to variable weather conditions and building resilient whole farming systems.
This one day session will build strategies to manage seasonal variability and profitability, while mitigating risk and the impacts of people and productivity.
Gather your own group of 10-12 farmers today and a trainer will deliver the course directly to you at your own location. Investment of $200 + GST per participant (fee subsidy applied for Limestone Coast participants, full cost $350).
For more information contact Bec Malseed by phone (+61) 407 730 943 or head to the Rural Industries Skill Training (RiST) website.
This project is supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program
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Industry Climate Change Conference |
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South Australian Industry Climate Change Conference will bring together industry, business and government representatives from across South Australia to learn about the latest trends and innovations that will help the state government’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
The conference will address the opportunities, challenges and priorities that South Australia faces to remain a world leader in tackling climate change. Attendees will hear from a range of industry experts including sustainable agriculture expert Richard Eckard who will speak about the effects of climate change on cropping, grazing, carbon farming and soil management.
Conference program includes the following topics:
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Decarbonising the construction sector
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Decarbonising mining, manufacturing and heavy industry
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Decarbonising the services sector
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Low emissions agriculture
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Digital solutions for decarbonisation and carbon accounting
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The future of transport
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And more!
More information on how to register for this event can be found on the South Australia's Industry Climate Change Conference website.
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Sustainable Land Use Guides for Red Meat and Wool Production |
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A series of factsheets have been developed by the MacKillop Farm Management Group (MFMG) in partnership with the Limestone Coast Landscape Board to capture and formalise locally relevant information for sustainable land use, including Dry Sheep Equivalent (DSE) and management strategies.
Supported by the Adaptive Agriculture project, Sustainable Land Use Guides for Red Meat and Wool Production are currently available for the four Limestone Coast sub-regions:
The final sustainable land use guide for ‘Dairy’ will be available in June 2023.
For more information, head to Limestone Coast Landscape Board Adaptive Agriculture project page or the MFMG Sustainable Land Use Guides project page.
This project is supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program
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New Digitised Greenhouse Gas Calculator
Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has launched an online, web-based greenhouse gas (GHG) calculator based on the Sheep and Beef Greenhouse Accounting Framework (SB-GAF) tool for Australian sheep and beef producers. The digitised version of the SB-GAF tool is based off the freely available excel version of the tool available on the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre (PICCC) website to ensure consistency across the sector.
The calculator will provide a baseline carbon account with total greenhouse gas emissions for the property and the emissions intensity of product produced. The calculator will enhance on-farm data collection and storage capabilities, and ensure relevant information is on hand when market opportunities arise that require historical data.
Carbon accounts can provide accessibility to new and emerging markets for products demonstrating environmental stewardship credentials, as well as access to capital and ensuring the adaptation and resilience of red meat production in the face of changing climatic conditions.
Information sourced from Meat and Livestock Australia
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Farm Household Allowance
This program aims to provide targeted assistance that gives farming families practical support to assess their situation and plan a way forward to long-term financial security. It is an Australian Government support package that’s available to eligible farmers and their partners experiencing financial hardship.
To get this you must:
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Be a farmer or partner of a farmer
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Meet the income and assets test limits
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Meet mutual obligation requirements.
A farmer must contribute significant labour and capital to a farm.
Read the full conditions under who can get it.
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Draft Padthaway Water Allocation Plan |
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Following three years of review the Padthaway Water Allocation Plan consultation draft is now open for a two-month community feedback period.
Community members in the Padthaway Prescribed Wells Area are invited to learn about the key concepts underpinning the consultation draft of the Padthaway Water Allocation Plan and provide feedback at the upcoming public meeting in early May.
Key amendments were developed in collaboration with the Stakeholder Advisory Group comprised of local industry representatives.
The community consultation meeting will be held at the Padthaway Football Club from 4 pm on Wednesday 3 May 2023.
The consultation draft of the plan is available to view and provide feedback at the Engage Limestone Coast Landscape Board online platform.
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EvokeAg Conference Overview |
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Limestone Coast Landscape Board Project Officers, Kate Holberton and Alex Keast, attended the EvokeAg ‘Down to Earth’ conference in Adelaide.
Alongside some impressive displays and talks about AgTech, including a robotic beehive, were strong messages of sustainability, including:
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The journey towards carbon neutrality is a journey of sustainability, and measurement is necessary in achieving sustainability
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Measuring every businesses’ greenhouse gas emissions and sequestrations will not only be a requirement but more importantly an opportunity and not a burden for farmers
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The need to look after our soils and to have a good understanding of ecological functions
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The value of biodiversity and ecosystem services to primary production
The Limestone Coast Landscape Board are currently producing a suite of new, locally relevant resources that will be released very soon, to help you on your sustainability journey!
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Understanding your Soils event a SUCCESS |
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Women together Learning (WoTL) Ltd held an ‘Understanding Your Soils’ event in the Naracoorte area in March as part of The Limestone Coast Women in Ag Network (LCWiAN). Facilitated by the highly regarded soils expert, Dr Mel Fraser, the workshop looked at what makes a soil healthy, methods to assess physical, chemical and biological soil health, as well as a practical session in the paddock. Participants came from a range of agricultural industries with plenty of learnings and positive feedback from the day.
The delivery of this workshop was supported through the Limestone Coast Landscape Board's Adaptive Agriculture Project, through its grants program. As a key focus, the project seeks to increase awareness and adoption of land management practices that improve and protect the condition of soil, biodiversity and vegetation in the Limestone Coast region.
Keep an eye on the WoTL website for more events in the Limestone Coast, or sign up to be a part of the Limestone Coast Women in Ag Network to keep up to date with other opportunities.
This project is supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program
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Land Managers Roll up for Farm Diversity Bus Tour |
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Image Credit: Bill Fuller (Grasslands Society of Southern Australia)
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The Limestone Coast branch of Grasslands Society of Southern Australia (GSSA) had a great day out on Friday 17 February 2023 for its ‘Farm Diversity in the South East’ bus tour. The day started out from Coonawarra and proceeded to key locations within the area showcasing a range of on farm diversity, including:
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An industrial hemp trial
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Sowing time trials and seeder demonstration
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Agtech in stock yards and pasture renovation
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Off farm investment and opportunities
The delivery of this event was supported through the Limestone Coast Landscape Board's Adaptive Agriculture Project, through its grants program. As a key focus, the project seeks to understand what new products can be grown in the region to meet emerging markets as a result of changing consumer demands and climate change impacts in the Limestone Coast region.
A hugely successful event, what a great way to showcase innovation and opportunity in our region!
This project is supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program
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