Showcasing our landscape rehdyration work
Since our Spring ‘Resilience’ edition we have been particularly honoured to demonstrate our work in October 2020 to the Governor General of Australia, the Hon David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) and his wife, Linda. They inspected part of the Mulloon Rehydration Initiative (MRI) at our Home Farm followed by a presentation in the barn. Their Excellencies were very interested in the role of landscape rehydration in regenerative agriculture and its positive impact on climate variabilities. Lots of great questions and discussion.
The Mulloon Rehydration Initiative is jointly funded through the Mulloon Institute and the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and is supported by various affiliates.
L-R: Hon Penny Wensley AC with Chairman Gary Nairn AO.
You will recall in the Spring edition of Resilience I welcomed the appointment of the Hon Penny Wensley AC as Australia’s new National Soil Advocate. Very shortly after her appointment we were pleased to welcome her to TMI. She and her husband, Dr Stuart McCosker, a retired vet, spent the best part of a day touring various parts of the MRI and discussing many issues related to her work. Penny certainly comes to the job with plenty of knowledge and passion about the need to improve our soils and we were honoured that she chose TMI as one of her first, on the ground, inspections.
L-R: James Larsen and Andrew Metcalfe AO.
Also visiting us in September was the Secretary of the Federal Department of Agriculture, Water & Environment Andrew Metcalfe AO, and his Deputy Secretary for the Environment James Larsen. The Federal Government grant that is enabling us to complete the MRI along with all of the scientific monitoring equipment came from within their Department as part of the National Landcare Program. So they were keen to understand how our work was progressing.
L-R: TMI Board Member Peter Howarth OAM with Paul Espie AO.
More recently we conducted a tour for the Menzies Research Centre Chairman Paul Espie AO and CEO Nick Cater, to give them a practical understanding of the link between a hydrated landscape and soil carbon.