Once again the South East Field Days will be a bonanza of information in the one location.

Come and say g’day at Site 275 and 276 – The Limestone Coast Landscape Board are featuring shelterbelts, pest animals, invasive weeds, vegetation cover for soil health, grants for community action and daily canid pest injector demonstrations.

We’ll have Blue Yakka Trail giveaways and fun competitions.
See you at Yakka Park in 2023!

The Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Round 1 will support businesses to upgrade or replace inefficient equipment to improve their energy efficiency. These upgrades will enable industries to reduce their energy use and manage energy cost volatility in the long term.

Opening date: 6 March 2023

Closing date and time: 5.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time on 19 April 2023

For more information and to see if you are eligible to apply, go to the Grant Connect website. 

The Limestone Coast (LC) Feral Deer Eradication Program integrates aerial and ground shooting operations with aerial thermal monitoring and compliance.

The program provides practical support to landholders to increase the scale and intensity of feral deer shooting operations, and aims to eradicate feral deer from the region to protect agriculture and biodiversity and improve public safety.

This program follows the success of our largest ever feral deer operation in 2022 with over 3,400 feral deer eradicated from the region. This is the most feral deer ever removed in a 12-month period.

The LC Landscape Board will be implementing their new largest ever autumn aerial and ground shooting operation in March and April of this year.

To sign up head to the Limestone Coast Landscape Board.

The value+d grains program, created in collaboration with Farmers2Founders and Straight To The Source, is for Australian grain growers looking for help to explore, test and launch a value-added grains business.

This customised 12-week program launching in April 2023 will provide grain growers with tools and resources to navigate the food value-adding journey. Participants will get access to 1:1 business coaching with food industry experts, high quality programming, connections to customers, channels and mentors. For more visit the value+d grains website.

Pilot a new sustainability platform

Producers are invited to get involved in the piloting of a new environmental credentials platform which aims to develop an environmental sustainability tool to measure and demonstrate sustainable production practices.

The platform will incorporate tools that measure carbon balance, tree cover, ground cover, drought resilience and biodiversity stewardship.

Grassfed beef producers and industry stakeholders have the opportunity to provide feedback to ensure the platform meets the requirements of the supply chain.

When, where and how?

The pilot will be conducted through several online webinars in which producers will be taken through the platform and then provided an opportunity to use it themselves and provide feedback on its useability.

The webinars will be held between March and June 2023, with specific dates to be confirmed.

Register on the Meat and Livestock Australia website.

ENROL NOW: If you are thinking of upskilling or starting your career, TAFE SA Mount Gambier Campus has a range of fee free* courses in Agriculture, Horticulture and Wine Industry Operations that are open for 2023.

Primary Industries

• Certificate II in Agriculture (AHC20116)
• Certificate III in Agriculture (AHC30116)
• Certificate III in Rural Operations (AHC32816)
• Certificate II in Horticulture (AHC20416)
• Certificate III in Horticulture (AHC30716)
• Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management (AHC31421)

Wine Industry Operations

• Certificate III in Wine Industry Operations (Bottling and Packaging) (FBP30921) #
• Certificate III in Wine Industry Operations (Cellar Operations) (FBP30921) #
• Certificate III in Wine Industry Operations (Viticulture) (FBP30921) #

*Fee Free TAFE is a joint initiative of the Australian and South Australian Governments. Eligibility criteria apply.

# You must be working in a related industry and will be required to provide evidence of this before an offer is made.

Visit TAFE SA  for more information or email Ally Skeer or phone 0467 714 917.

Come and join bat expert Nicola Bail and chat all things bats on Friday 31 March at Naracoorte Caves.

Let’s chat bats will start at 5.30pm meeting at the Wonambi Fossil Centre and then departing to the Bat Observation Centre. This will provide the Limestone Coast community an opportunity to view the critically endangered Southern Bent-wing bat via infrared cameras while learning some fascinating facts. The bats will embark on their nightly flight around twilight providing a spectacular sight in their natural habitat.

Come along to this free, family friendly event. Sausage sizzle provided.

Numbers are limited so please register at eventbrite.

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 on 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.

For more information email Bec Malseed or phone (+61) 407 730 943 or head to Rural Industries Skill Training (RiST) website. 

The University of Adelaide, in collaboration with the South Australian Department for Environment and Water, is seeking participants for a research project that investigates how pests impact members of the Australian community and how people in Australia currently manage pests.

The project will explore people’s attitudes towards pest management, including the potential future use of genetic biocontrol.

We would like to invite anyone who is 18 years or older to participate in an interview online, by telephone or in person. The interview will last between 60 and 90 minutes. If you prefer, we can also try to organise a group interview together with other members of your community.

You will be offered a $100 gift card to thank you for your participation.

To schedule a time for an interview or to request further information about the research, please email Rebecca Paxton  or  phone 0479 141 755. You can also express an interest in participating in an interview by following this link and leaving your contact details. 

Participation in this research is entirely voluntary and confidential.

South Australia’s inaugural Industry Climate Change Conference will bring together industry, business and government representatives from across South Australia to work on further reducing emissions and set the pathways towards a net zero future.

The state government is hosting the Industry Climate Change Conference in recognition that action is required by all sectors to achieve these targets.

Conference program includes the following topics:

• decarbonising the construction sector
• decarbonising mining, manufacturing and heavy industry industry
• decarbonising the services sector
• low emissions agriculture
• digital solutions for decarbonisation and carbon accounting
• the future of transport
• and more!

More information on how to register for this event can be found on the South Australia's Industry Climate Change Conference website.

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:

• be a farmer or partner of a farmer
• meet the income and assets test limits
• meet mutual obligation requirements.

A farmer must contribute significant labour and capital to a farm.

Read the full conditions under who can get it.

The Thriving Communities Program consists of small grants for projects that build social capital through facilitating:

• community group participation
• a sense of belonging
• equity of access.

Projects that meet the aims of the program may include:

• physical infrastructure - new and expanded
• plant and equipment
• events to enhance community wellbeing and engagement, including promotional expenses capped at 10% of the grant.
• training such as first aid, mental health first aid, child safe, cultural awareness and inclusion.

Applications close Friday 30 June 2023.

The grants will support projects that can be completed within 12 months. An applicant co-contribution is desirable but not essential. You are encouraged to leverage co-contributions from the Australian Government, or state and local government grants.

More information can be found on the Government of South Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regions website.

The Australian Government is inviting consortia via an open competitive process to apply for grants under the Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Program.

This program will fund innovative and transformational practices that have the potential to positively influence (socially, economically and/or environmentally) the efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of Australian farms from the impacts of drought and climate change.

Projects will have a focus on grain cropping, livestock grazing and/or mixed cropping and livestock systems. Projects will test, refine, and demonstrate the effectiveness (or otherwise) of yet to be proven farming practices in a robust and scientific manner. The testing of these practices will underpin and assist to drive widespread adoption through increased evidence and by providing farmers with the confidence and information they need to try the practices themselves.

More information about this funding opportunity can be found on the Australian Government's Grant Connect 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