Adoption and extension initiatives

Location: Bingara and Warialda 
Status: Complete
Partner: Action Coaching

Facilitated by Mark Blume from Action Coaching, the Business Resilience and Growth workshops were designed to support small businesses in rural communities to grow and build resilience to climate-based challenges to enhance business performance. The events supported attendees to develop skills in business planning and financial management, using available data and tools to support key decision-making, mentoring rural and regional stakeholders to improve decision-making skills and resilience through building capacity. The workshops developed a network of business owners that can support and mentor each other in the future. In total 11 business owners participated in the workshops. Participants of the workshops rated the events as 9.3/10 for the quality and usefulness of the information and activities.

Location: Stanthorpe
Status: Complete
Partners: Wilshire and Co, Pursehouse, Rural Financial Counselling Service, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Ag Seeds, Feedworks, Agricon Products, Local Land Services, Ag360, University of Southern Queensland

With a focus on livestock nutrition and dry season feeding, drought assistance and support, farm business resilience planning, and drought management resources, the 2024 Mingoola Dry Season Preparedness Info session brought together a substantial group of graziers. Hosted by Wilshire & Co, the event was an ideal opportunity to hear more about the current conditions and options from Local Land Services NSW, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Rural Financial Counselling NSW - Northern Region and Agricon. As Part of this series we visited Goondawindi and hosted a breakfast event where Vicki Mayne from Climate Mates presented to the MacIntyre Ag Alliance offering practical applications of weather forecasting – “Much Rain Mate”.

Location: Bingara / Lismore 
Status: Active
Partners: Sustainable Farms - ANU, Northern Slopes Landcare Association (NSLA)

Dams are essential for many farming operations, including for livestock and irrigation. Enhancing a farm dam can lead to improvements in water quality and provide a habitat for a wide variety of native wildlife. This project is designed to support the adoption of farm dams to support water quality, water persistence, biodiversity and associated productivity gains. It aims to help inform future policies and programs to support and benefit farmers in their dam management. Multiple workshops and surveys will be facilitated to support farmers in implementing best practices for enhancing farm dams. Local Land Services officers, Landcare coordinators, and other industry professionals surveyed local landholders about their farm dams, as part of a survey program developed with Deakin University’s Blue Carbon Lab. Northern Slopes Landcare have applied for funding to enhance three Farm Dams in the Gwydir Shire.

Location: Bingara / Lismore
Status: Active
Partners: Mulloon Institute, Gwymac Landcare, Danthonia, Northern Slopes Landcare Association Inc 

Leaky weirs and woven brush structures will be implemented as a low impact and low-cost method of repairing secondary gullies within the Gwydir catchment. An initial trial project is being undertaken on the North Coast, in preparation for a wider roll-out to interested landholders in the Gwydir Local Government area. These on-farm actions are aimed at improving farm productivity, landscape function and contributing to better catchment health, especially during seasonal and temporal dry conditions. The identified options will be applied to each participant’s property in a co-design process that readies the land manager to take on-ground action.

Location: Armidale
Status: Active
Partners: Rural Aid, Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP), Bush Agribusiness, Meridian Agriculture, RCS, Healthwise, UNE, EcoRich Grazing, UNE SMART Farm, Lismore Node, various rural businesses

The Farming Family Reboot, an initiative of the Armidale Node, offers grazing or farming family businesses an opportunity to receive an injection of new information and skills to become more climate resilient. The free, two-session event, is a chance for members of farming families and businesses to improve their critical decision making and teamwork skills. The Farming Family Reboot workshop is a chance for people to take some time out from the daily work of the farm, to think, plan, review their goals and build some new skills that will help in managing future climate related business challenges. The event features high quality guest speakers and hands on in-paddock sessions. Accommodation and meals are included, thanks to the support of Rural Aid, the University of New England (UNE) and the SQNNSW Innovation Hub.

Evaluation data confirms the value of the program:

• 100% of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that the content was relevant, easy to understand and they were likely to use it again
• 100% of the participants strongly agreed they were likely to either make practice changes or consider making changes, as a result of attending the Farming Family Reboot.

To learn more about Farming Family Reboot:

• read our Reboot your farming family in 2023 blog,
• watch our Farming Family Reboot video.

Location: Narrabri
Status: Complete
Partners: North West Local Land Services, Animal Health and Nutrition (AHN)

Feed Gap workshops have been held across the North West region hosting over 150 landholders. Topics covered include ruminant nutrition and supplementary feeding in dry conditions.

Location: Stanthorpe
Status: Active
Partners: Southern Queensland Landscapes, Invasive Plant and Animal Services, National Feral Pig Action Plan, Waratah Fencing, Granit Belt Sustainable Action Network, Wiltshire and Co, Granite Belt Growers Association, Traprock Group, Granite Belt Wine & Tourism, Granite Belt Sustainable Action Network

Feral Pests workshops were organised in response to concerns raised by local growers about the impact of feral pigs and other invasive animals. The workshops covered:

• raising awareness on feral pigs and other invasive animals on the Granite Belt and Traprock
• encouraging more people to get involved in pest control
• learning about the latest pest control techniques
• networking with other people working to protect the regions from invasive animals.

On 12 July, the Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities (The Honourable Mark Furner) announced almost $1 million allocated in new round of Queensland Feral Pest Initiative. The Granite Belt Growers Association led an application into this space strongly support by the Stanthorpe node.

Work continues in this area with the hub's Stanthorpe Node assisting the community with information and resources to manage feral pigs on their land.

Location: Maules Creek, near Narrabri
Status: Complete
Partners: Maules Creek farmer group, Northern Slopes Landcare Association

The event involved discussions on tropical pasture, including estimating pasture biomass, species selection, species density - groundcover, looking at pastures and recovery from drought. Discussions also took place regarding native pasture, including how landscape rehydration techniques such as water banks can reduce erosion and wash from slope, thus improving groundcover. The landholders in attendance discussed their local experience, sharing ideas and perspectives from their properties.

Location: Lismore
Status: Complete
Partner: Decision Design Hub

A two-day workshop teaching vital decision-making skills, hosted by Helen Lewis from Decision Design Hub, a Savoy Institute accredited professional educator with more than 20 years’ experience in empowering people with tools to achieve their goals. The workshop aims to provide participants with greater clarity regarding their short and long-term goals, as well as equipping them with the necessary confidence and management tools to achieve those goals. Following the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to engage in one-on-one sessions with Helen to develop a personal action plan. Ongoing mentoring support will also be provided to participants.

Location: Lismore
Status: Complete
Partners: Inside Outside management, Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, Northern Slopes Landcare Association (NSLA)

The Hub's Lismore node hosted Brian Wehlburg of Inside Outside Management, at the Living Classroom Bingara for a 3-day Holistic Planned Grazing Workshop. Graziers learnt how to maintain animal performance and ensure they have sufficient pasture, while also improving their farm’s profitability and biodiversity.

Location: Lismore 
Status: Active
Partners: Rous Country Council, Southern Cross University, Phil Fraser, Josh Wellman, Northern Soils Coordinator, NSW DPE

This project involves partnering with Rous County Council on a landscape rehydration component of the NSW Government-funded Watershed Initiative. Applying principles of slow and spread the flow with education and sites across the Richmond River catchment landscape that demonstrate actions landholders can take to improve the resilience and productivity of their farm and local catchment.

These on-farm actions are aimed at improving farm productivity, especially during seasonal and temporal dry conditions, landscape function and contributing to better catchment health. The identified options will be applied to each participant’s property in a co-design process that prepares the land manager to take on-ground action. 

The hydrology of north coast landscapes has been disrupted by land management changes since European settlement. The project aims to help graziers identify opportunities in their landscape to reduce erosion, and to improve rainfall capture and infiltration and retention in the soil, increase soil organic matter levels, and biodiversity values.  

The project will target landholders and natural resource managers, to build their understanding of landscape rehydration principles and opportunities for on-ground action. The content provides a great platform for managers and farm advisors to pursue further training and development.

Location: Lismore 
Status: Active
Partners: Southern Cross University, Casino Food Co-op, Northern Rivers NSW Steering Committee, UAG Macadamias, Banyula, local farmers, Environmental Analysis Laboratory (EAL) 

The Lismore Node supported the project’s Primary Producer Engagement Program, including hosting field days at Banyula (275 attendees) and Myrtle Trading Co (80 attendees), and the development of video case studies, newsletter articles, social media posts and panel discussions. The Hub also funded the relocation of UAG Macadmaias anaerobic digestion machine to Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus, which is expected to be finalised in 2025. This will be an extremely valuable research and education facility. 

Location: Lismore 
Status: Active  
Partners: Southern Cross University   

This project will amplify, support and champion the research being done within Southern Cross University, particularly in the fields of regenerative agriculture, soils, agronomy and plant science. The hub's Lismore Node will work one-on-one with early career researchers to develop a holistic and strategic approach to share their knowledge and research, also helping to identify and support relevant and valuable opportunities for extension activities, and engage with new audiences. Research will be extended to farmers, hub partners, NRMs, community groups, extension workers, advisors and regional communities through a variety of easily digestible, plain English formats. This will provide cutting edge information to people across the Node region on drought preparedness and climate resilience. 

Location: Lismore
Status: Complete
Partners: Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, Northern Rivers Net Zero, Regenerative Agriculture Mentoring Program, Southern Cross University

The Regenerative Agriculture Alliance (RAA) is a collaboration of Australia’s leading researchers and practitioners in regenerative agriculture, whose aim is to improve the holistic health and wellbeing of Australian landscapes, farmers and communities through regenerative agricultural research, education and practice.

The hub's Lismore Node supported a number of activities with the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, including writing and distributing newsletters and other communications materials, managing social media accounts, organising events, videos and field days, and supporting new initiatives, applied research, and projects.

Location: Lismore
Status: Complete
Partners: Southern Cross University, agriculture and business mentors

The Regenerative Agriculture Mentoring Program (RAMP) supports the growth and development of farmers to become regional champions of regenerative agriculture. The RAMP vision is to create resilience through regenerative agriculture education-based, group mentoring. 

The RAMP delivers values-based experiences from trusted regenerative agriculture experts, helping farmers understand complex systems to better manage their land while developing capacity to respond to the challenges they face in a strategic, rather than reactionary way. 

The mentor program developed and piloted in 2021/22 with support from the NSW Environmental Trust, Southern Cross University and local partners, can now be rolled out in any region across Australia where farmers are interested in regenerative agriculture. 

A six-month version of RAMP was funded by the SQNNSW Innovation Hub. The program involves bringing farmers (mentees) into groups with expert mentors, to help them transition from conventional to regenerative farming practices. 

Access the resources developed by RAMP. 

Regenerative Agriculture Professional Learning (RAPL) was developed by the Regenerative Agriculture Mentoring Program, The Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, and Farming Together team at Southern Cross University with funding from the SQNNSW Innovation Hub. The program was designed to upskill existing agriculture, science, technology and geography teachers with the latest science and research in regenerative agriculture.

Location: Armidale
Status: Complete
Partners: Gwydir Shire Council, Inverell Shire Council, Snowy Advisory

The hub's Armidale Node contributed to development of the Regional Drought Resilience Plan for the Gwydir and Inverell Shire Councils as part of a Future Drought Fund (FDF) pilot program in 2022/2023. The community consultation highlighted a demand for business planning and financial skills in both the farming community and local businesses in regional towns that support the agricultural supply chain. As a follow up activity, the hub's Armidale Node engaged Mark Blume of Action Coaching to run Business Resilience and Growth workshops in Bingara and Warialda in 2023, to deliver against the goals of the plan.

Download the finalised plans from the Future Drought Fund. 

Location: Narrabri
Status: Complete
Partners: Mulloon Institute, University of Sydney, Local Land Services

Landscape rehydration workshops have been held in Maules Creek (near Narrabri), Warialda and Tamworth with Mulloon Institute. The topics included water ponding, in-paddock options for landscape rehydration and water spreading on the University of Sydney farm. The project aims to identify options for increased productivity and profitability on farms if landscape rehydration practices are implemented.