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RegenWA newsletter
Welcome to the August edition of the RegenWA newsletter. We are entering the Noongar season of Djilba where the magnificent array of native flora we have in our state begin to bloom as the days begin to warm 🌼☀️
In this newsletter we share news articles from the RegenWA and PerthNRM team, as well as some exciting upcoming events and opportunities in the regenerative agriculture space.
Have an upcoming event? Want to share your story or find out more information? Contact us at info@regenwa.com, @regenwa on Twitter/X, @regenwa on Instagram, Regen WA on Facebook or visit our website.
REGENWA NEWS
*Final Call*
WA Grain Growers to participate in SCU/GRDC Regen Ag Project closes next week!
This research involves answering a voluntary online survey that will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.
There are 5 sections relating to your farm, goals, management practices, background information and views on regenerative agriculture. You can navigate back and forth within the survey, and you can fill in as much as you have time to - but please indicate if you would like to be a part of the on-farm monitoring project.
The findings will help build an enhanced understanding of grower goals and practices, as well as their perceptions of regenerative agriculture and provide evidence for further funding in this space.
This survey has the support of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) as part of the project, Regenerative Agriculture: Understanding the intent, practices, benefits and disbenefits.
Our government’s lack of action for the environment is ‘a dereliction of duty’
RegenWA CEO Keith Pekin shared an opinion piece in a recent edition of the Farm Weekly discussing the pressures on WA agriculture and the need for investment for the environment. You can read the full article here.
Keep an eye out in upcoming editions of the Farm Weekly for more articles following on from this!
Natural Capital Accounting Project Update
The project involved 645 field surveys across 20 farms, with ecological surveys making up over 60% of these. The surveyed area totalled 30,968 hectares, with farm sizes ranging from 3 hectares to 5,688 hectares. Click here for full article.
Perth NRM was also involved in the Farming for the Future project, which quantified the relationship between a farm’s natural capital, and its productivity and profitability.
Hear Dr Sue Ogilvy, Director at Farming for the Future and her team present the business case for Nature Positive Farming drawn from their phase 2 data collection and the insights emerging from farmers' use of natural capital reports on NRM Regions Australia's ‘In the Tent with NRM’ webinar.
This project was delivered in partnership with Integrated Futures and is supported by funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program and Commonland.
Collective Impact Workshop 3 - 'Focusing on the work ahead'
The third Collective Impact workshop of the Restoration Impact Framework project was held on Tuesday 28th May at The Hub, Bentley Technology Park. Twenty-one attendees from diverse key stakeholder groups, including two overseas visitors, joined the discussions. The workshop focused on:
- Refining the project’s vision and purpose statement
- Evolution of the theory of change
- Introduction to shared measurement for collective impact
- An activity on outcomes and indicators and
- An update on feedback for an investment case.
The Restoration Impact Framework project is funded by Lotterywest and Commonland with collective impact workshops delivered by Impact Seed and coordinated by Perth NRM.
REGENWA EVENTS
‘Starting with the minerals’ Field Day
Join us in Lake King, WA to hear from grain grower Rob Hetherington on how he has improved his farm's plant and soil health. You'll learn about his approach to monitoring, correcting mineral imbalances and restoring soil function, multispecies and companion cropping, eliminating fungicides and insecticides, and his biological fertility program. Ken Bailey will also be there to share some of his experiences and agronomy expertise. Find out more and register here
This event is supported by Soils For Life in partnership with RegenWA, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
Matthew Evans on MILK
Matthew Evans is a chef and food critic turned farmer-food activist, best known for his long-running SBS series Gourmet Farmer (six seasons), set on Fat Pig Farm's 70 acres. He has authored or co-authored 14 books on food, and is regularly interviewed on radio about all things to do with farming, growing, soil and eating.
But aside from all of that, he is a ball of fun, with witty energy that gets everyone enthused!
Join us as talks about his book MILK - A powerful, entertaining and, at times, eviscerating commentary on the most controversial of original superfoods.
- Date: Sunday 11th August
- Time: 4-6:30pm
- Venue: Tall Timbers Brewery, Manjimup
- Price: $15
This event is supported by Willarra Gold, Perth NRM and RegenWA Ltd with funding from Lotterywest and the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program.
Upcoming RCS courses in WA!
With 16 discounted tickets up for grabs so book in early!
As part of our Accelerating Regenerative Adoption project, we are providing heavily subsidised tickets for both upcoming RCS courses in Bunbury this October.
We have strategically placed them at the same venue, within the same week, therefore you can receive the discount for both events and tack them into one big training week!
Click the course titles for more information on each course:
RCS Grazing Clinic - Tuesday 22 October - Thursday 24 October
RCS Business Fundamentals Workshop - Friday 25 October - Sunday 27 October
This course is supported by Perth NRM and RegenWA Ltd with funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program, Lotterywest and Commonland.
RegenWA Conference 17 - 18 September 2025, Optus Stadium Perth
Everything is interconnected, from the health of our soil to food security and the wellbeing of people.
Focusing food production on enriching soil and enhancing ecosystem services reduces environmental damage and minimises production costs. The 2025 conference in Perth, Western Australia, will showcase leaders and collaborative programs that are transforming our food systems to enhance soil health, improve ecosystem function, and ensuring food security whilst supporting human health.
We invite you to save the date and join us for RegenWA’s next pivotal conference. Be part of the change and foster collaboration for a sustainable and food secure future.
OTHER EVENTS
Check out this list of other great events happening around the place, as you'll be sure to find one that interests you!
- Soil and plant health monitoring - Bindoon; 06/08/2024 (registrations still open)
- Soil and plant health monitoring - Katanning;08/08/2024 (registrations still open)
- 2-Day Microscopy Workshop - Coolup; 14/08/2024
- Nutrition farming workshop - Manjimup; 21/08/2024
- Nutrition farming workshop - Gingin; 23/08/2024
- Dowerin Field Days - Dowerin, 28-29/08/2024
If you have upcoming events, or see an event the RegenWA community would be interested in, make sure you hit us up on info@regenwa.com, @regenwa on Twitter, @regenwa on Instagram, Regen WA on Facebook or on our website.
NEWS
Nature Based Solutions Partnership
RegenWA Ltd has partnered with Alinta Energy’s Nature Based Solutions team to provide farmers options to get involved in the carbon market, address on-farm environmental issues and adoption of evidence based regenerative agricultural practices. Read the full article here.
The commitment of major international agrifood corporations to regenerative agriculture highlights the importance of expanding its adoption among current farmers worldwide. See the full list here.
OPPORTUNITIES & SUPPORT
We want to understand how the dry start to the 2024 season has impacted your farming system. You can fill out the questions here or alternatively please reach out to us via info@regenwa.com or by phone at (08) 9374 3333 to have a chat with the team.
Support to purchase eIDs for sheep and goats
The Tag Incentive Payment (TIP) scheme provides discounted electronic identification devices for producers of sheep and goats in Western Australia.
Find out more information about the scheme here.
Sustainable finance case studies
Farmers for Climate Action are seeking case studies to include in a report which aims to understand the cost and benefits of accessing sustainable finance. Reach out to info@farmersforclimateaction.org.au for more information or to get involved.
RESOURCES
DPIRD has established a 2024 dry season website and hotline for farmers to access a variety of resources on seasonal management, funding and more to help support them through the 2024 dry season. Access the resources here.
Three case studies, funded by the Future Drought Fund, explore the management practices being implemented on 3 WA farms to help increase resilience to a drying climate.
REGEN ONLINE
- Have you checked out the RegenWA website 'Getting Started pages? There is an abundance of information on a range of topics tailored for those who are interested in beginning their regenerative journey! Check it out here.
- Hear about Matthew Evans WA tour he completed in 2023 via several articles and a podcast on soil.
RegenWA Network Membership
We ask all our members to share this newsletter with their contacts and community groups and invite growers to register (no cost) regardless of what type, size, location, interest, and knowledge level of biological farming.
A diverse community is a strong, healthy community.
RegenWA is supported by Perth NRM through funding from Lotterywest, Commonland and Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program.
