Lee Fieldhouse from Island Biologicals was the key attraction at Nambucca Valley Landcare’s most recent producer workshop, the first in a series run by local coordinator Ainslie Ashton across different sub catchments of the valley.
Ross and Maggie from Welshs Creek Santa Gertrudis generously hosted the workshop, and more than 30 producers from Taylors Arm and further afield attended, fuelled by catering from the great folk at Utungan Hall.
The NSW DPI Rural Recovery Support Service supports these workshops to help producers recovering from the series of fire and flood events that have impacted many catchments on the NSW north coast, and develop more resilient businesses and landscapes to future climatic and business challenges.
Gavin Tinning from Southern Cross University and the SQNNSW Innovation Hub joined Lee in emphasising the importance of functional diversity in pastures and soil biology, and how to incorporate this into the different types of grazing operations in the district. The workshop also encouraged observation and experimentation at a ‘safe to fail’ scale to build confidence in decision making.
Lee has spent many years working with dairy farmers and graziers, and in horticulture, using vermicast, multi species pastures and cover crops to build organic matter, biology and crop resilience. Lee is a wealth of knowledge, his insights would have continued well into the evening if a storm didn’t come through.
Nambucca Valley Landcare will be running a small paddock demonstration project in 2025, to show how producers can incorporate pasture diversity into their grazing business, so watch this space, with some follow up field days and paddock walks planned.
If you would like more information about pasture diversity and functional plant families in pastures (grasses, herbs, legumes, forbs) contact gavin.tinning@scu.edu.au
If you want to get in touch with Nambucca Valley Landcare, or join up for their mailing list to hear about more field day opportunities, contact coordinator@nvlandcare.org.au