Landcare Australia
Moree landholder's property revegetation up for Bob Hawke Landcare gong
A Moree landholder significant property revegetation drives will represent NSW at the 2021 National Landcare Awards next month.
Sixteen years after buying their Gravesend property on the North West Slopes, 50kms outside Moree, Justin and Lorroi Kirkby have revitalised their land which once boasted rundown cropping blocks with scarce groundcover and poor nutritional grasses.
Now, thanks to measures taken, the Kirkby's have decreased their farms carbon footprint with the revegetation of up to twenty per cent of the property, with native tree species specific to the region.
Planting trees and fodder shrubs has added to wildlife corridors and bio-link habitats for insects and birds to work as one in the ecosystem with their Kirkby's innovative farming practices.
Staged establishment over three years of browsing fodder shrubs (Saltbush cultivars and Tagasaste) over 300ha and experimenting with the density needed to reduce establishment costs has also increased overall productivity.
While converting degraded farming paddocks to 100 per cent biodiverse grasslands, without the use of synthetic fertilisers or chemicals, and decreasing paddock size to improve rotational grazing management has been hugely successful.
Announced at the upcoming National Landcare Awards, the Bob Hawke Landcare Award publicly recognises an individual involved in championing Landcare and inspiring others to take action on their own property or through a Landcare group. It also acknowledges a person's leadership and commitment to Landcare, natural resource management and sustainable agriculture.
Landcare Australia CEO Dr Shane Norrish says an overwhelming number of people were nominated for the award.
Dr Norrish said: "We received very strong nominations from across the country demonstrating there is a strong interest to be recognised for this distinguished national accolade. The award will be presented to an individual who actively pursues, introduces and shapes innovative farming systems to improve productivity, profitability, sustainability, and the quality of our natural resources."
The winner of the Bob Hawke Landcare Award will be announced at the virtual 2021 National Landcare Awards gala dinner on Thursday 5 August, 2021.
The Bob Hawke Landcare Award recipient will be awarded a prize package of $50,000
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