New trials are under way to prepare the farming sector for future resilience, and change is on our doorstep.
Langley Vale Farm is among 26 trial sites for the North Central Catchment Management Authority’s Climate Positive Farming Initiative.
The initiative is working directly with farmers across the catchment area to help them better manage variable climate conditions while building long-term resilience into their farming systems.
The $1.8 million initiative is funded by the Federal Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and is delivered by the North Central CMA, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners Panel.
The selected farms reflect the diversity of agricultural practices across the catchment region, ensuring that learnings from the project will be relevant and transferable to other farmers operating in different systems and environments.
For fourth generation farmers Phillipa and Lizzie Murray at Langley Vale Farm, that means exploring options to improve soil health.
“We place importance on increasing soil health and restoring landscape function,” Phillipa said.
“The Climate Positive Farming Initiative seemed a good opportunity to explore biological agronomy with an aim to rebalance our soil and improve soil health in what is clearly a changing climate.
“We have set up four trial plots, three of which will have different recipes of inputs plus a fourth do-nothing control paddock.
“Our soil tests have indicated our soils are unbalanced, and this initiative enables a structured way to test the outcomes of various inputs on our pastures and animals and, in turn, to glean insights about the cost/benefit ratio.”
North Central CMA program delivery executive manager Rachel Murphy said the program would work with farmers to “test what works and what doesn’t”.
“That will give us a raft of information to pass on to others in the catchment, helping drive agricultural growth,” she said.
“This project puts practical solutions in farmers hands and on their land, with on-ground trials and the latest information and advice from experts to help improve soil health and reduce on-farm emissions.”
Visiting the Langley farm last week, Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters said the program would build on the local knowledge of farmers and landowners in a range of areas.
“Climate change affects all of us and no one feels that more acutely than our primary producers,” she said.
“We’re committed to supporting local farmers navigate more sustainable practices to improve their climate resilience in these changing times.”
Trials as part of the project include improving soil health, combatting land degradation and improving water-use efficiency to farm-management planning and revegetation.
The Climate-Smart Agriculture Program runs over five years.
