Updates from the field

L-R: Bill McAlister (MCCC), Peter Hazell (TMI), James & Louis Moulin-Gordon (Mt Pleasant Station), Rod Kerr (NQ Dry Tropics). [Photo: Garlone Moulin]

The Mulloon Institute and Mulloon Consulting Contracting & Certifying are continuing to work in a variety of topographical situations as the outcomes of our work are becoming better known.

QUEENSLAND

We returned to work with NQ Dry Tropics NRM in August with Peter Hazell and Bill McAlister spending several days in the field to gather data for designing interventions for the Mt Pleasant Learning Hub at Mt Pleasant Station in Bowen. You can follow their journey on their Facebook page as they develop the Hub into a demonstration site for a range of grazing techniques, erosion control, technology and biodiversity monitoring.

With an increasing focus on protecting the Great Barrier Reef, many more property owners are putting up their hand to do their bit to help, with the demonstration farm projects we are working gaining much attention.

L-R: Gary Lorrimar (Mannabutting Farm), Lance Mudgway (Wheatbelt Hydrology) and Gary Nairn (TMI).

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Gary Nairn and Carolyn Hall spent several days in Western Australia during August with the first ‘adaption’ they had to make adapting to temperatures in the low 20s after escaping cold, near zero temperatures on the east coast. That was easy to adapt to!

Gary and Carolyn spent a day travelling around the Western Wheatbelt with Lance Mudgway from Wheatbelt Hydrology where they inspected several surface water management projects including at Mannabutting Farm owned by Gary Lorrimar. Other meetings included Landmark, Wide Open Agriculture, Regen WA, Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation. There was much commonality with TMI’s work and each of these organisations.

As highlighted earlier, WA has some unique challenges, particularly with respect to salinity in the Wheatbelt, but we believe the correct adaptation of the principles of restoring natural landscape functions will address these matters. A number of specific projects were put forward, including the potential of total catchments, so we will be heading back west in the near future.

In fact, Peter Hazell will be there in mid-September to present at the Regenerative Agriculture Conference: Investing in Our Food Future and to run two one day workshops with landholders and other NRM people in conjunction with Wide Open Agriculture. Tickets for the conference are available here, while bookings for the workshop can be made via here. Funding towards the cost of the workshop training is also on offer to eligible WA Farmers, thanks to Agtalent. Details here.

There must be something about the work going on in our region as the presenters at that Regenerative Agriculture Conference include Charles Massy and Sue Ogilvy (ANU). Regen WA’s Justin Wolfgang is excited to have a star line-up for the conference and TMI is pleased to help through Peter Hazell’s presentation. And when Justin saw our new four minute animation his immediate comment was “you nailed it”! Great to get feedback like that!