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Small farmers in the Capital region are already experiencing the predicted patterns of climate change outlined in the Climate Change for NSW Snapshot but the options for adaptation are not well known. This project seeks to fill the information gap about strategies and techniques available to small farmers to address these challenges and adapt to climate change.
Find out how two farming families are applying the knowledge they learnt at workshops to their small farms in this video. Suz talks about how she adapted her farming practices to conserve ground cover, improve pastures and her plans to manage water in the future, while Sam and Frank discuss how they are using burning practices to reduce fuel loads and regenerate the landscape.
The Small Farms Network Capital Region received funding for this project from the NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Increasing Resilience to Climate Change community grants program.
More information about the community grants can be found on the AdaptNSW website.
The Small Farms Small Farms Network Capital Region held a Small Farms and Climate Change Forum where the participants provided feedback about the types of things they need to learn to improve farm resilience in a challenging climate. The feedback from the forum guided the selection of topics for a series of practical workshops (or webinars) around the Capital region tailored to the needs of small farmers and delivered by subject matter experts. Summaries and fact sheets on our website allow a wider audience to access the information.
You can read the Small Farms and Climate Change Forum Summary here.
In this webinar we explored the topic of trees and climate change with Cameron Pensini the Sustainability Project Officer from the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council and Dr David Freudenberger from the Australian National University.
The webinar was recorded on 13 October 2021, you can view the recording here.
These are the main points from the webinar:
Macquarie University Climate Ready Revegetation Guide
Keeping it Cool – Vegetation and Heat Adaptation Strategy - Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council
Yass Area Network Climate Ready Project
Fodder trees and shrubs workshop
Revegetation for small farms
Key Concepts of Ecosystem Services
Lyndenmayer, D.B. et al (2008), Novel ecosystems resulting from landscape transformation create dilemmas for modern conservation practice, Conbio Online Library 26/11/2021 https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00021.x
ANU Sustainable Farms Research
The Crossing Courses and Workshops
Greening Australia Connecting and Protecting Landscapes
This event is funded by the NSW Government through an Increasing Resilience to Climate Change (IRCC) Community Grant.
This is a summary of a webinar recorded on the 7 October 2021 with Jason McWhirter the District Officer, Lake George Zone - NSW Rural Fire Service. In this webinar Jason shared his expertise in planning for and managing bushfire.
You can watch the webinar recording by following this link.
These are the key points from the webinar:
10/50 meter rule
Hazard Reduction Certificate and Standards
Bushfire Survival Plans
RFS Farm Fire Plan
Livestock and bushfire resources
NSW Department of Primary Industries
South East Local Land Services 1300 795 299
Vegetation Management
Victorian Country Fire Authority - Landscaping for bushfire
Please note that this is a Victorian website, but it has relevant information for this topic.
Australian Network for Plant Conservation 2019/20 bushfire resources page
Fire retardant plants for ACT
This webinar was made possible with funding from the New South Wales Government through an Increasing Resilience to Climate Change (IRCC) Community Grant.
This webinar was held on the 18 August 2021 with Dr Lou Baskind from South East Local Land Services and Dan Head from Value Life Farm.
You can watch the recording here.
Below is a summary of the key points from the webinar and a list of resources for more information.
Water and nutrition- Pigs require access to high quality water and feed. They are monogastric animals like humans. In order of priority, pigs need fresh water, energy, protein, macro nutrients and other micro nutrients.
The pig’s diet will influence the growth rate and quality of pork you produce. Pasture alone is not adequate to meet the nutritional needs of pigs and supplementary feeding is essential. Dan uses a sustainably sourced pig feed in bulka bags from Heritage Feeds. The amount of feed a pig requires will depend on the age and stage of development. Dan gave an example of a feeding regime that he uses - piglets are fed ad lib until they are five months old and then 2kg/head/day except for lactating sows then the rate increases to 7 kg/day.
Pigs are curious animals and can damage water troughs, a closed off inlet valve can be useful for preventing damage to troughs or you can use water nipples.
Swill Feeding is illegal in Australia.
Swill feeding is the traditional name for the feeding of food scraps to pigs. Prohibited pig feed (‘swill’) includes meat (raw, cooked or processed), bone, blood, offal or hide derived from a mammal and anything that has come into contact with these materials (NSW DPI).
Pigs are considered high risk for the introduction of exotic diseases in to Australia and swill feeding is considered to be the most likely pathway of disease introduction.
Penning and housing- Wallowing is an important natural behaviour of pigs. Pigs cannot sweat so wallowing allows them to moderate their body temperature. Pigs can be kept on a deep litter system, where the manure and urine are composted down with wood chips. Dan uses electric fencing for his pigs, he trains them using feed and uses boards to move them in yards if required. This method of handling is referred to as low stress livestock handling and will improve meat quality (see refences below). Shelter is also important for pigs, especially for furrowing sows and piglets, and during the summer months to protect them from sunburn and heat stress.
Pigs can be raised outdoors and used for removing weeds, cultivation and rotational grazing. They can be raised successfully using organic and regenerative agriculture principles. Dan sought inspiration from Joel Salatin, Justin Rhodes and has his own YouTube Channel. For more information visit the Value Life Farm website.
Piglet castration – male piglets must be castrated using a knife not rings like the ones used for lambs. Seek advice from your vet or an experienced pig farmer.
Councils have rules about owning pigs – check with your local council before buying them.
Property Identification and moving pigs - all owners of pigs require a property identification code (PIC). Look at this handy guide from the NSW Department of Primary Industries for more information.
Moving Pigs Eight Step Guide
Swill feeding
Pig husbandry and housing
Pig nutrition Basics - DAF QLD
Deep litter housing for pigs
Responsible pig ownership - NSW DPI
Eight must dos for pig ownership - NSW DPI
Pig biosecurity management resources
Local Government rules
Local Government (General) Regulation 2005
Part 5 Standards for Keeping Birds or Animal, Keeping of Swine clauses 17 and 18.
Palerang Local Government Planning rules for keeping pigs
Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council Duty Planner 1300 735 025.
Low stress handling research
Grandin T., (2020) “Livestock Handling at the Abattoir: Effects on Welfare and Meat Quality”, Meat and Muscle Biology 4(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.9457
Grandin T., (2019) Understanding Flight Zone and Point of Balance for Low Stress Handling of Cattle, Sheep, and Pigs.
Pig Agskills Book - Tocal Collage NSW
This webinar was made possible with funding from the NSW Environmental Trust through Every Bit Counts Project and with in-kind support from South East Local Land Services District Veterinarian Dr Lou Baskind and Dan Head from Value Life Farm.
The Small Farms Network Capital Region was a Land for Wildlife Provider from June 2017 to April 2021. During that time we facilitated the assessment of 64 properties in the Palerang District. Our intrepid Land for Wildlife assessors were Kris Nash and Jo Walker who bought years of experience along with encyclopaedic knowledge of plants and natural resource management (NRM) to the program. They used this experience to provide landholders with advice and education about the plants and animals on their properties.
The Land for Wildlife Program is a free, non-binding program for landholders. Under the program, property owners receive a free visit from a NRM specialist and a report about the plants and animals living on their property.
Jo and Kris reflect below on their experience being Land for Wildlife assessors for the Small Farms Network Capital Region and the former Palerang Action Network for Sustainability.
Most people are surprised to learn the diversity they have on their farm
It was fascinating to discover the variety of landscapes existing in the area we covered, ranging from tall forests to grassy open expanses and including rocky outcrops of shale or granite, creeks, gullies and dams. Identifying plants involved peering into the high branches of eucalypts, crawling through shrubbery and kneeling to get a close look at Sundews and other tiny plants.
Sometimes we came across threatened ecological communities (grassy box woodland, grasslands) and uncommon or threatened plant species but otherwise we encountered everything from dense to open forest, patches with an intact and diverse native understorey, to low diversity paddocks with a few remnant eucalypts.
There were a few surprises too. I think the most memorable was an understorey of purple-flowering Comesperma ericinum (Heath Milkwort) in an area of dry forest in Wamboin. This species is not common in this area and usually occurs as an individual plant or in small groups.
The average number of plants per property was 60 species (112 from one property), with 316 different native plants recorded across the assessment area. Many more species would have been recorded had it been possible to visit everyone during spring, but most property owners were pleasantly surprised at the number of native plants on their block. All properties had at least 0.5 ha of native vegetation, most had far more.
Weeds, wildlife habitat and wombats
The most common issue discussed was the identification and control of weeds including woody weeds, sifton bush, pine trees, various noxious grasses, pesky annuals and garden escapees. Other issues included erosion control, the enhancement of dams, protecting native seed stock from grazing animals, rehabilitation, salinity control and feral animal management.
We encountered goannas, baby kangaroos and wombats, threatened birds and frogs, scats, scratchings, nests and diggings of many animals, and sadly a bunch of sugar glider tails.
So how can we improve our land?
Our main advice to property owners was to weed, weed, weed and more weeding. We know this is easier said than done but removing pressure from weedy plants will provide more room for native grassland and bush to recover. Other common advice included keeping as much exposed or disturbed soil covered as possible, 80% at least, through mulching, laying heavy logs, branches and/or rocks. Planting additional plants is not usually necessary when the understorey is diverse and there is regeneration of overstory species. That ‘mess’ is great for biodiversity and should be valued. The other major goal should be to retain and protect remnant trees for their all-important hollows for nesting birds and animals.
Great people and a few eccentrics too
It was also interesting to talk to the people who had invited us onto their land for the assessments. They were as diverse as the plants, but all had a deep desire to do something for the environment and the local wildlife. Several of them were wildlife rescuers and carers. The pig purchased as a ‘mini’ but now grown to an enormous stature deserves a mention, as does the lengths people have gone to, to provide homes and habitat for the animals sharing their properties. They were all very keen to know what plants were on their land and their relationship with the local wildlife, and were sometimes amazed by the number of native plants on the lists. To help them understand which plants were listed, we provided them with some information and a follow up email.
Altogether, it was a rewarding experience for us to be able to provide enthusiastic landholders with more knowledge of their farm. It was a privilege to be part of the Land for Wildlife program and humbling to meet such dedicated and caring people. It was a personal highlight to assist landholders discover just how diverse and valuable for wildlife their individual properties were.
Individual land holders and the broader community has benefited from Jo and Kris’s expertise and enthusiasm for helping others to learn about the natural environment. Vicki, one of the landholders, had this to say about the assessment done by Jo and Kris.
‘I found the whole Land for Wildlife experience very positive and learnt a lot about the plants growing here. It was great to know we had such diversity on our farm. The visit from Jo and Kris helped us appreciate the value of the habitat that we have on our farm. Rather than thinking we have a paddock of rocky outcrops we now see a paddock with great habitat potential. Being given a list of species was the icing on the cake. The assessment has encouraged me to focus more on weed removal instead of re-vegetation. Over-all our visit from Jo and Kris was a very enlightening and positive experience from extremely knowledgeable and committed people.’
Thanks for the funding and support
The Small Farms Network Land for Wildlife Program would not have been possible without the support of the Geary’s Gap/Wamboin Landcare Group., National Landcare Program and John Asquith from the Community Environment Centre.
Here is a message from Geary’s Gap Landcare.
Gearys Gap/Wamboin Landcare Group has been very pleased to have been able to support LfW in this region over the past decade. The activities of Landcare and Land for Wildlife are complementary and each makes a valuable contribution to the natural environment of this region. The excellent collaborative work of the two organisations has been exemplary.
Thanks to Jo and Kris for a wonderful contribution and to all our supporters.
For more information on the Land for Wildlife program please contact the Community Environment Centre.
Chris Curtis from Roogulli Farm presented at this webinar on the 21 July 2021. Wicking beds are plant containers with a water reservoir in the bottom of the container, water wicks up through the potting medium through capillary action. At this webinar Chris discussed his research into several growing mediums and the water holding capacity of different reservoir materials in wicking beds.
You can view a recording of the webinar on YouTube here.
A copy of the abstract from Chris’s research can be downloaded here and you can read the full dissertation on his website.
Resources
You can download a copy of Chris’s PowerPoint presentation here.
Thank you to Chris for volunteering his time to present this webinar.
The Small Farms Network Capital Region received funding from the NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Increasing Resilience to Climate Change community grants program.
More information about the community grants can be found here.
On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 April 2021 we met Den Barber from Yarrabin Cultural Connections and a team of cultural burning practitioners at Birkenburn Farm near Bungendore to learn about Aboriginal cultural burning.
The workshop began with an Acknowledgement of Country and Smoking Ceremony. The smoking ceremony involves smouldering gum leaves to produce smoke, which provides a spiritual cleansing and protection for all workshop participants.
For Aboriginal people, cultural burning is an ancient traditional practice used for thousands of years throughout the many different Cultural Lands of Australia. The process is complex with many interconnected objectives including protecting cultural assets by maintaining the health of surrounding country, protecting ceremonial sites, habitat enhancement and fuel reduction. Fuel reduction is often not the primary objective. Cultural burning uses frequent, low intensity fires that do not adversely impact parent trees or the forest canopy. Parent trees are considered sacred by Aboriginal people.
You don’t manage your mother you look after her
Den Barber told us about the Aboriginal belief of caring for Mother Earth. Before starting the fire, we prepared the burn site (under the direction of our guides) by raking back excessive bushfire fuel loads of bark, leaves and sticks from the base of the trees. It was necessary to create containment lines in this ‘Country’ that has not seen any fire for more than 50 years by raking debris to create bare tracks. Den showed us a ‘parent tree’ which had a hollow in it, we could see signs that the hollow was in use because there were scratch marks and frass at the base of the tree.
Cultural burns help protect native animal habitat by reducing fuel loads and the intensity of fires. The low intensity of a cultural burn allows animals, insects and reptiles to move away from the fire. By protecting the forest canopy the ecosystem is preserved, unlike bushfires where whole ecosystems can be lost in one fire event.
The right fire at the right time
Cultural burning is not about saving money or meeting hazard reduction burn targets. It is about putting the right type of fire, at the right time into the right landscape. This takes time, patience and guidance from an Aboriginal practitioner. Aboriginal people have a relationship with fire and the Mother Earth, they are the traditional custodians of fire in the Australian Landscape.
Let go of time… and be patient
Den taught us the right way to start a fire by establishing a single ignition point in the middle of the burn site, so that the fire will move out in a circular fashion from that point. Using a series of fires like this produces a mosaic burn effect in the landscape. The fire is low and slow and aims to predominantly leave only a black ash layer behind. Some patches and even individual plants will not be burnt.
A cultural burn will only be conducted during suitable weather conditions including the right amount of wind, temperature, humidity as well as the appropriate season.
Look for signs that a burn is needed, this could involve asking yourself questions. What are the fuel loads like in the forest? Are the trees or shrubs fruiting? How much dead grass is in the tussocks? Is one plant type dominating?
Burning in grassland is like mowing the lawn
Slow cool burning protects the roots of the grasses and shrubs so they can regenerate when it rains. Den suggests that grassland is ready to burn when 50% of the tussock is dead grass.
One of our guides shared his experience of using cultural burning to manage Serrated Tussock. Burning tussock at the right time of the year can reduce seed heads and create space for other plants to establish. Burning over several years is required and can be used as part of an integrated weed management plan.
Knowledge is only powerful when shared
Towards the end of the workshop, we asked how non-Aboriginal people could apply the knowledge learnt at the workshop? What should we call a burn if we want to conduct one? Den’s answer ‘if you have received Cultural Knowledge, you should acknowledge that it is a Traditional Aboriginal Cultural Practice. It is good to share and practice cultural burning regardless of your heritage.’
The generous way in which Den and the Yarrabin Fire Crew shared their traditional knowledge was appreciated by everyone attending the workshop.
Rural Fire Service perspective
A Bush Fire Hazard Reduction Certificate may be required to perform any type of burning on privately owned land and a Fire Permit from the Rural Fire Service (RFS) is required during the bushfire period. You need to comply with the conditions of the certificate or permit including safety requirements and notifying your neighbours. Notification of intention to burn is a relatively simple process that can be done online. Please contact the RFS for more information.
Firesticks Alliance
Yarrabin Cultural Connections Pty Ltd
Steffensen, V (2020). Fire Country: How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia. Richmond, Hardie Grant Explore, Australia.
Australian Story documentary featuring Victor Steffensen
CSIRO publishing ‘How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia’
NSW Rural Fire Service
Fire permits
Notification of intention to burn
Savanna burning
Nature Conservancy Research into the effects on cultural burning on climate change
Serrated Tussock
Burning as a control method for Serrated Tussock
This event was funded by the NSW Government through an Increasing Resilience to Climate Change (IRCC) Community Grant.
This workshop was held in Bywong in July 2021 and was about constructing animal yards that are suitable for keeping farm animal safe and predators out. Our guest speaker was Chris Curtis from Roogulli Farm.
You can watch Chris talk about predator proofing animal yards in a short video here.
Key Points
Chris provided the following resources for this workshop, click on the link below to open them:
Predator proofing animal enclosures PowerPoint presentation
Bibliography – a list of research papers on this topic
Chris has designed a simple box addition to his chicken coop that allows chickens to enter the coop but excludes foxes. The bends in the entry way are designed so that the fox cannot bend around the tight corners.
Lamb predation and fox control in south-eastern Australia 2001
Fencing for fox control. Factsheet, Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, 2012. PestSmart website.
Cost effective feral animal exclusion fencing for areas of high conservation value in Australia, Natural Heritage Trust 2004.
Wombat Gate
Alpacas as guardian animals
Guardian Dogs – Best Practice Guide to the use of Maremma dogs as guardian dogs, Invasive Animal Cooperative Research Centre
Toolkit resource - guardian animals for livestock protection and wild dog exclusion
This project was supported by the NSW Government through a grant from South East Local Land Services.
Watch the webinar recording in YouTube.
A National Guide for Smallholder Livestock Producers (Meat and Livestock Australia) This guide, providing an overview of your responsibilities when keeping livestock including pet sheep in Australia, is a good place to start. https://www.mla.com.au/globalassets/mla-corporate/research-and-development/program-areas/livestock-production/a-national-guide-for-smallholders.pdf
Farm Biosecurity toolkit (Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia) Forms, biosecurity manual and other resources for creating your biosecurity plan https://www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/
A Producer’s Guide to Sheep Husbandry Practices (Meat and Livestock Australia) Guidance for many standard sheep handling and treatment practices including yards, tagging, injections, worm egg counts, drenching, foot trimming, lamb marking and humane killing. https://publications.mla.com.au/login/eaccess?elink=3GS9UMSdcGsMs351SXSL
Sheep Calendar of Operations (NSW Local Land Services) What to do when for sheep on the NSW South Coast regionhttps://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1280923/Final-Version-SELLS_Sheep_Calendar.pdf
General information about biosecurity, health and welfare for sheep (Animal Health Australia) https://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/species/sheep/
National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) Register here to be able to record sheep movements on and off your property (this is free) https://www.nlis.com.au
Meat and Livestock Australia (MyMLA) Register with MyMLA as the first step to gaining LPA accreditation so you can sell sheep (even pet sheep) and write NVDs https://www.mla.com.au
Animal Carcass Disposal (NSW DPI) Safe handling and disposal of carcasses. https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1299603/animal-carcass-disposal.pdf
Yards and Equipment (NSW DPI) Series of fact sheets about design of yards, sheep handlers, ramps and shearing sheds. https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock/sheep/yards-equipment
Straying Stock (NSW DPI) What to do if stock stray onto your property https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/723180/Straying-Stock.pdf
Vaccination in Sheep Flocks (Meat and Livestock Australia) Guide to how vaccinations work and the vaccines available for sheep. https://www.mla.com.au/globalassets/mla-corporate/research-and-development/program-areas/animal-health-welfare-and-biosecurity/210517-vaccination-in-sheep-flocks.pdf
See also Vaccinations for Sheep in the Capital Region
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