Farm dams across the Southern New England are set to get a practical overhaul, with a new Landcare project offering workshops, hands-on demonstration sites and even carbon monitoring for local landholders.
Southern New England Landcare has launched Revive and Thrive: Future-Ready Farm Dams, a project aimed at healthier dams, cleaner water, stronger biodiversity, improved livestock outcomes and greater farm water security across the region.
Local Landcare Coordinator with Southern New England Landcare, Struan Ferguson, said dams sat at the heart of a resilient farm.
“Farm dams are vital to productive and resilient farming systems,” Ms Ferguson said.
“With practical improvements such as better stock access management, revegetation, off-stream watering and improved water planning, dams can support cleaner water, healthier stock, more native habitat and stronger drought preparedness,” she said.
The project will run a series of connected activities over the next 12 months. A WaterWise Farms: Stock, Storage and Security workshop will be held at Kentucky on Friday 28 August, followed by a Dam Good Water: Enhancing Farm Dams workshop at Uralla on Thursday 3 September.
A Farm Dam Enhancement and Pondi Monitoring Train the Trainer session for Landcare, natural resource management and industry advisers will follow on Friday 4 September.
The project is also seeking Expressions of Interest from landholders interested in hosting a Farm Dam Enhancement Demonstration Site. Selected properties may receive support for eligible materials, including fencing, native plants, plant guards, off-stream watering infrastructure and materials for a hardened stock access point, with landholders contributing labour and in-kind support. Demonstration site Expressions of Interest close on Monday 31 August.
Landholders can also register interest in having greenhouse gas emissions measured from their farm dams using Pondi loggers, as part of RMIT University’s Ripple Effect research. Pondi is a low-cost floating logger that measures carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions from dams. Monitoring opportunities will be available on an ongoing basis for the life of the project, subject to site suitability, safe access, consent, equipment availability and research timing.
The project is supported by the NSW Government through the Landcare Enabling Program Phase 3 Innovations and Partnerships Grant Program, bringing together local workshops, demonstration opportunities and research partnerships to help landholders better understand, improve and monitor their farm dams.
Farmers, landholders and community members are encouraged to become members of Southern New England Landcare to stay connected with local events, funding opportunities, practical workshops and projects, at snelandcare.org.au/membership/become-a-member.html.
For more information, to register for events, submit an Expression of Interest or become a member, contact Southern New England Landcare on 02 6772 9123 or visit snelandcare.org.au.
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