Catching up with Kylie Falconer

Your role - what is it and what does it involve?

I am the CEO of the Glen Innes Natural Resource Advisory Committee (GLENRAC) Incorporated.  This community-driven association has been promoting sustainable agriculture, natural resource management and community projects for nearly 35-years. GLENRAC currently employs 5 staff in Glen Innes to support our project work to address key priorities in the organisation’s strategic plan: sustaining land; achieving balance; strong people for a strong community and working towards a sustainable future. 

I have worked for GLENRAC for 15 years in all facets of the business. GLENRAC’s role with the SQNNSW Innovation Hub is to connect the work the Hub is undertaking with our membership and our wider network of interested stakeholders, including farmers across the Northern Tablelands.

What most excites you now regarding the work you do in relation to drought resilience?

We are excited to be a partner organisation of the SQNNSW Hub and we have enjoyed our participation in Node activities and extending information to our membership. We work closely with the University of New England Node of the Hub, and we are currently delivering two projects to address issues experienced by local farmers during the 2018-2019 drought, road testing solutions for the future to enhance drought preparedness of grazing enterprises. The first project involves 5 farm sites to showcase best practice water infrastructure to address issues relating to both a shortage of water supply and to improve water quality.  In the 2018-2019 drought, water was the most limiting resource for many farms on the Northern Tablelands in an area that had long been considered as ‘safe’ for water supply. The project is developing extension products to provide information and hosting field events to share both industry and farmer expertise to improve water resources for the future. You can read about some of the outcomes in the Hub article 'Drought proof stock water systems'.

The second project is exploring the use of drone technology to both monitor and control weeds in difficult terrain. The impacts of drought conditions are too often reduced ground cover and the proliferation of weed species in the period of pasture recovery.  This project has been developed to explore the use of drones as an option for identifying key weeds species using drone surveys, and the subsequent control. The project features 3 farms across the Northern Tablelands targeting a mix of woody and grass weeds. The project has also gained relevance with the current industrywide workforce shortage and is exploring if technology can replace manpower for this type of work on farm.

Examples of how you and your colleagues work with farmers and the community

The projects GLENRAC are working on have been developed from feedback from our grassroots members, from one-on-one conversations with staff and members; feedback from event attendees and from a Drought Debrief held in 2022 to drill down into the gaps in resources; knowledge and support experienced by our local farmers in the 2018-2019 drought. GLENRAC values the feedback of our members and we have progressed these ideas and conversations to now tangible projects that will deliver activities to better prepare farm businesses for future droughts. As an organisation, GLENRAC undertakes a wide range of activities to address local needs relating to sustainable agriculture, natural resource management and community each and every year. GLENRAC is truly representative of all land managers and the community; our Committee of Management of 15 members represents both private land managers (farmers) and public land managers including Local Government, NSW Department of Primary Industry, and National Parks and Wildlife. If you want to learn more about our work, you can always find our latest events listed in our calendar.

Thoughts on your partnership with the Drought Hub?

GLENRAC is proud to be an active partner of the SQNNSW Drought Hub and values the relationship and the new connections it has brought to our organisation and membership.  GLENRAC’s vision, ‘solutions for a sustainable and productive landscape’ reflects the importance of collaborative and diverse partnerships, such as the SQNNSW Drought Hub, to explore and extend solutions for the future of our natural resource base and farm businesses.

Learn more about GLENRAC.