This project will promote sustainable farm practices and improve the skills, knowledge and engagement of at least 40 managers our natural resources (farmers and other land managers) to adopt sustainable land management practices. The following identified local issues will be used to improve communication and encourage participation -
- Investigating sustainable farming techniques to trial and implement on farms; - Ongoing cooperative native animal browsing fencing trials; - Trialling new techniques and/or crops to help farms adapt to climate change; - Linking farmers and newcomers to exchange ideas and share resources; - Investigating soil and other carbon issues; - Integrating with coastal and riparian management; - Improving understanding of Aboriginal Heritage issues; - Implementing weed control works that assist with or compliment the implementation the Tasman Weed Management Strategy; and - Encouraging the participation of more farmers from the Sorell Municipality.
This project aims to address these issues and in so doing significantly contribute to the Caring for Our Country targets outlined in the Business Plan 2009-2010.
The landscape of the Tasman/Sorell area is a mosaic of agriculture, forestry and native vegetation giving some degree of resilience in terms of the landscape’s ability to recover from climatic and management impacts. However the proximity of pasture, crops and orchards to bushland areas has implications for farm productivity. The control of native animal browsing on pasture and cropping areas is a key issue faced by landholders in the Tasman/Sorell area.
This project will improve grazing management by encouraging farmers to work together to reduce the impacts of native animals browsing by implementing cooperative wallaby fencing trials. By reducing browsing, farmers will regain control over grazing regimes in their pasture. The project will assist farmers to erect new wallaby fencing in strategic areas, upgrade existing fences to a wallaby proof standard and to trial different techniques for difficult terrain, roads, stream sides and the movement of wombats. By working together to plan and implement fencing works, vegetation corridors to allow native animal movement will also be maintained and the impacts on native bush managed.
