Looking at Landcare 23rd April 2010
Hello Landcarers.
We had a great night on Tuesday in Parkes at the Services Club for the social soils night.
Those of you who weren’t able to attend really missed a great time, with drinks, nibblies and a couple of fantastic guest speakers in Ian Packer from the Lachlan CMA talking about soil carbon and Anne Williams the chair of the Conservation and no till Farmers association, who came all the way from Coonamble.
It was a great social evening, which we value too – as many of the problems of farms and of the world are often solved by the chats that are had over a beer or two.
It was great to see people from as far afield as Peak Hill, Forbes and Grenfell as well as quite a few locals.
We are planning to do more of these so stay tuned and make sure to book in quickly.
Trundle has been mooted as the next location.
Those of you who have an interest in managing your grazing land in a more sustainable way should make some space in the diary for a bus trip we have coming up on the 5th and 6th of May.
The trip will take in farms at Wellington, Geurie and Narromine, looking at issues such as planned grazing systems, biological farming, direct selling, no kill cropping and saltbush plantings.
Its all for just $40 per person and make sure that you call me soon to book in as places are filling fast.
Hope to see you on board for what should be an inspiring trip!
Last week we had a great meeting of the Parkes Rural Services Support Network, with a variety of new members - including two committee members from Landcare, Margot Jolly and Merrill Findlay.
This really is a great group for networking, so I would encourage any rural service providers who haven’t managed to come along, to do so and meet the troops.
I’m sure that you will find as I have, that these meetings really help you to more effectively do your own job, as well as provide some inspiration!
One of the items that were discussed at the meeting was the production of the play “Burnt”, which will be performed in Parkes, Forbes, Cowra and Condo in early June by the Sydney Theatre Company in conjunction with local schools.
This play has themes of mental health and succession planning – which are real issues in the farming community.
Ill let you know more in coming weeks but it should be a fantastic series of events that must not be missed!
A reminder that the NSW Environmental Trust Grants are open for business, so make sure you get your project ideas together and have a yarn to Gerald.
These close around the end of May so you don’t have much time.
Head to the Environmental Trust Website for more information or give Gerald or I a call and we can print something out for you.
Finally - big congratulations to the Cooks Myalls Landcare Group west of Parkes for their terrific field day last Friday.
They had a great roll up – with people attending from all over the Parkes and Forbes Districts, and by all reports the grasses are really looking great, and may be a real solution for landholders.
Look forward to the next field day out there as they always run a good show!
Until next week, happy Landcaring.
Local events continue to crop up – one of which is being conducted by one of the newest groups to come under the Parkes and Districts Landcare umbrella – that is Warroo Landcare.
They will be running a workshop on the 3rd of March called “One Goal - Three Systems” with speakers such as Rick Colless MLC – the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary of Climate Change and Primary Industry, Ian Packer from the Lachlan CMA, Matt McCrae, Dr Maarten Stapper, and Albrecht System Farmers Robert and John Sutherland.
The workshop will be held at the Forbes Services Club and for the first 100 people attendance is free. It promises to be a great day with comparisons between traditional, biological and Albrecht systems. Contact Claire Whatmore on 0268 563146 if you would like to support this event.
A reminder too that Clean Up Australia Day is coming up fast. This is an event that has tended to attract just a small crowd, but we really want to get it going this year.
If you would like to join in and make a real contribution on the day – which will be the 5th of March for Schools and the 7th of March for the general public – get in contact with either your local council or with Gerald.
And while we are at it, the Clean Up Australia Website has some great resources for schools, so if you need some information for projects and the like, check it out.
And finally – a note to all of the Ag n Chat ladies out there that these groups will be starting up again soon. We now have a replacement for the lovely Rosemary Facey – Kristy Baker, so welcome to Kristy. The first meetings for the year will be planning of future topics, so you’ll need your thinking caps.
Until next week, happy Landcaring.
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