Mark your calendars for our demonstration day at Marg and Colin Bull's Property ‘Oakville’, Conargo. Experience first hand the effectiveness of our tree planting machine, towed by a tractor.
The tree planting machine is available for all Landcare members to use. Participants are required to bring a hat, sunscreen, drinking water and enclosed shoes/boots. Lunch will be provided.
For more information, please contact Jenny Dwyer on 0428 549 647.
With some good soil moisture received across our region, now is a suitable time to finalise the planting of your site.
By now your seedlings should be ordered from a local nursery, fencing underway and your tree lines ripped.
Once the site is ripped, you can then prepare the site for planting. Tree lines should be sprayed with a knockdown plus a residual herbicide (such as Simazine). Only spray the rip lines and not the entire site. This needs to be done approximately 4 weeks before planting.
For sites being direct seeded, the ripping is not required but good weed control at this stage is important to reduce grass competition.
The plants can be planted throughout the autumn, winter and early spring period. When it comes time to plant the distance between each individual plant varies across the region from 4m to 5m spacings in the east through to 6m to 8m in the west.
Rabbits, hares and cockatoos can damage new seedlings and the use of tree guards can help protect the young plants from grazing.
If you need help finalising your planting, then please contact Cherie White from our NRM team on 0427 407 126.
Agriculture
Ewe nutrition for lambing
Ewe nutrition is an important factor to ensure the best reproductive performance in a flock. Optimum nutrition will provide the best conditions for ewes to conceive when joining the flock.
Ewe nutrition pre lambing
Ewe nutrition can be measured in many different ways, but one of the most effective methods is measuring body condition score (BCS). Lifetime Wool and Meat and Livestock Australia recommends that all ewes to be joined should be at approximately condition score 3.0 to 3.5 and that maiden ewes need to be at least 75-80% of their mature weight at joining.
Lambing ewes
Winter lambing flocks are under a lot more pressure during winter as feed requirements increase dramatically leading up to lambing, especially in twin-bearing ewes.
With winter lambing ewes we recommend keeping feeding rates up once the autumn break occurs to help pastures get ahead of the stock. You are better off feeding ewes in late pregnancy as once lambing starts the risk of mismothering increases, especially if you are trail feeding.
Weight gain in ewes
Favourable weather has seen stock putting on valuable condition, and graziers are likely to have above-average paddock feed coming into winter.
It is important sheep producers are constantly checking ewe condition. Ewes grazing highly digestible green pasture could be putting on 0.8 – 1.0kg a week. If ewes are already in good condition (e.g. 3 score), there is a risk that they could be a 4 score in 6 to 8 weeks if action is not taken. You really want to avoid Merino ewes exceeding Fat Score 3.5 at lambing (Fat Score 4.0 for cross-bred ewes).
GROW is a professional development program for women in NSW in agriculture and farming. You may be eligible for funding to attend this course fully funded.
Develop skills in:
time management, planning and organisation
communication and networking to position yourself as a leader and influencer in your business and community
management of teams and staff and meeting industrial relations requirements
understanding and managing work health and safety in your business.
Is this course for me?
GROW is a program for business owners and managers who have a minimum of 5 years experience in the workplace and have delegation over the WHS and HR systems of business.
What does this course consist of?
This course will be delivered using a blend of face to face and online training, completed over a 6-month time frame. Participants will complete activities in an engaging and mentored environment and need to be able to commit to 2 one-day face-to-face workshops in 2023, as well as webinars commencing in July for all delivery locations. Webinars will be recorded for those who are unable to attend the live sessions.
Riverina LLS undertook a region-wide aerial pest control campaign from January to June 2023 with the goal of reducing cloven-footed pest populations.
This collaborative project with private landholders, public land managers and adjoining LLS regions included key sites at Hay, Rankin Springs, West Wyalong and the Riverina highlands. The program covered 2.4 million hectares on 600 properties and removed 9138 pigs, 248 goats and 63 deer.
Reconnecting River Country Program invites landholders to help shape the next phase of the program
The Reconnecting River Country Program is commencing the next phase of landholder engagement to seek feedback that will help shape the program’s development.
The program invites potentially affected stakeholders and private landholders in the program area to join the discussion and provide feedback on:
flow option extent mapping to assist with model refinement, potential mitigation and management options
a range of proposed higher flow options currently being considered.
The feedback will help develop a collection of materials and tools for stakeholders, called the Impact Management Toolbox, which aims to identify, measure and mitigate impacts from higher flows for the environment.
About the program
Reconnecting River Country Program will relax constraints for the delivery of water for the environment, based on the best available science and on-ground experience. The program aims to meet a range of objectives including improved environmental, social and cultural outcomes for communities along the Murray and Murrumbidgee River systems.
Join the discussion
If you are a potentially affected stakeholder or private landholder, register to participate in the next phase of landholder engagement by completing the online form.
Local Land Services is supporting the Department of Planning and Environment, Water Infrastructure NSW team, to deliver the Reconnecting River Country Program.
Annual land and stock return
It’s time to do your Annual Land and Stock Return
It’s easy to complete your return via our improved and secure online portal. If online doesn’t work for you, you can manually submit your form using the reply paid envelope provided.
If you fail to complete your return penalties will be applied to your next Local Land Services rates notice, even if you don’t have any livestock.
Understanding livestock numbers across the state is important and we rely on this information during emergencies.
Even if you report nil livestock, your return helps us build a picture of land use in NSW.
Haven’t received your form in the mail yet? Head to www.lls.nsw.gov.au/alsr to find out what to do.
Upcoming events
Prograze Sustainable Grazing Management
8 x ½ day workshops, generally held 4 - 6 weeks apart.
The course is hands-on, conducted on group member’s farms with in-paddock activities and discussion. The first workshops for 2023 - 2024 will be starting in August 2023.
Course fee: $400 (+GST) per farm business, which is heavily subsidized by NSW Government funding, with full cost around $4000 per participant. Two or more members from a farm business may participate for this fee. More info
Understanding Soils with David Hardwick
When: 11 July 2023, 9:30 am – 2.30 pm
Where: FarmLink Research Ltd.
We are partnering with Murrumbidgee Landcare to bring you a 1 day hands-on interactive workshop aimed at giving participants an introduction to soils and soil health. More info
Confinement Feeding Workshops
27 July, Temora
28 July, Illlabo
Phil Graham (Graham Advisory) will deliver this essential workshop about stock management decision making based on predicted seasonal outcomes and how to plan and build stock management areas. More info
Local Land Services acknowledges that it stands on Country
which always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters,
and we show our respect for Elders past, present and emerging.
Our mailing address is:
200 Murray Road · Hanwood, NSW 2680 · Australia
The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing. However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that the information upon which they rely is up to date and to check the currency of the information with the appropriate officer of Local Land Services or the user’s independent adviser. For updates go to www.lls.nsw.gov.au
With some good soil moisture received across our region, now is a suitable time to finalise the planting of your site.
