Improving soil health and revegetating the Milton Monzonite landscape
Brief History
Croobyar Road has a number of long term network members living in the area who have regularly participated in training since 2004.
This project is the result of an informal afternoon tea/meeting with 25 local landholders about sustainable farming issues in Spring 2010. The outcomes of the meeting prompted an application to be submitted on their behalf for a Caring for our Country `Community Action Grant'.
Project Description
This project aims to improve soil health practices, create a soil health map and a series of shelterbelts linking remnant woodland and riparian areas across the Croobyar Road landscape. It will deliver educational and community awareness activities including workshops on soil health, pasture/weed management and whole farm/catchment-based project mapping to improve landholders' knowledge and skills. Landholder engagement aims to deliver 500 ha of improved soil/landscape management across the Croobyar catchment. All engaged landholders will be supported by the Small Farm Network after the project has been completed.
Improving Soil Health
23 soil tests have been taken over 8 farms with reports and recommendations provided to each landholder by NSW DPI. Further testing will occur in Spring 2011 to build a better picture of overall catchment soil health.
A Monzonite Soils Day was delivered on Friday 1st April with 31 people attending. Soil pits were dug for examination and group soil test results were provided for review and discussion on the day. Roy Lawrie, (Ex Soil Guru, NSW DPI) delivered the workshop and provided an explanation on the catchments soil results, shedding some insight into future fertiliser management options for landholders along Croobyar Road.
Dung Beetles for Improved Soil Health
4,000 Geotrupes spiniger (spring to early winter active species) were released across 4 properties in March 2011. Dung Beetles are of great interest to the group and seen as a way to improve the catchments overall soil health.
In July 2011, the Small Farms Network was able to access the scarce winter active dung beetle, Bubas bison through its ongoing partnership with Foxground Landcare. 3,000 Bubas bison were purchased using Small Farms Network funding and released on 3 properties along Croobyar Road.
A monitoring and identification program is currently being developed to determine which species are present along Croobyar Road and which additional species could be obtained to reduce the seasonal dung species gap.
Revegetating the Milton Monzonite
Twenty projects were submitted and developed for funding as part of this small grant process. Unfortunately only 6 projects have been funded due to the scale of the projects and the funding available.
These projects are focussed on creating vegetation corridors across the open landscape of Croobyar Road, creating shelter for livestock, reducing evaporation from pasture/soil, and building weed banks for Fireweed.
Two projects were commenced prior to winter with the remaining projects to be commenced in Spring 2011 when weather conditions improve for planting.
In total this project will establish:
- 2,100m of shelterbelts including 2,000 tubestock
- 680m of riparian fencing and revegetation of 300 tubestock
Future Activities Planned
A number of activities will begin again in Spring 2011 when seasonal conditions improve.
- Soil testing will continue in Spring 2011
- On ground projects will commence in Spring 2011
- Pasture and silage workshop in Spring 2011
- Follow up catchment soil health / mapping workshop in Autumn 2012
More Information
For more information on this project please contact Andrew Britton, Small Farms Coordinator on Ph: (02) 42323200 or email: abritton@southerncouncils.nsw.gov.au
This project has been funded by
Caring for Our Country
`Community Action Grant 2010'
Milton Monzonite Soils Workshop,
April 2011
Landholders releasing dung beetles,
June 2011
Geotrupes spiniger
(Winter Active Dung Beetles)
June 201
One of six projects funded to help revegetate
the
Milton Monzonite,
Autumn 2011