Landcare Bowning and Bookham have been holding a range of events in the past few weeks to educate and inform about changing climate.
These events included grazing workshops, propagating plants workshops and soils information days. The next event on the calendar is about Farm Planning and Regenerative Agriculture.
The Farm Planning and Regenerative Agriculture session will take place on Saturday the 14th of November between 2 pm and 5 pm. It will be located at 978 Childowla Road Bookham, and Bookham local Kylie Kimpton will be hosting and running the event.
Mrs Kimpton has farming in her blood, growing up on the land as a farmer’s daughter. She has tried her hand at many different types of farming in other regions but finally settled back in Bookham. It was here she became part of the Landcare group and is passionate about raising awareness that there is a financially secure way of farming that helps build soil and helps combat climate change.
Farm Planning will be focussed on tailoring advice to people’s farm maps and teaching them how to create their own plans. By bringing a copy of your farm’s map, you will learn to utilise the land in different ways to get the most out of your farm. This covers all aspects of farming such as crop growing, livestock and tree planting.
If you do not have a farm map, you can access it by contacting the local Land Service Office in Yass located at 13 Mitchell Street opposite Berinba Public School.
The workshop will look at where watercourses are, fences, soil types, and where vegetation is currently planted or would like to be planted in the future. By using the farm plan and overlays, attendees can get an idea of where everything is and chop and change things to be more climate-wise. This ensures they will have windbreaks, shade shelter, and the best areas chosen for vegetation and livestock.
Mrs Kimpton is running the event and is currently the Secretary of Bowning-Bookham Landcare Group. She has attended and run grazing days within and outside the Landcare group. Ms Kimpton has been using Regenerative Agriculture practices for the last three years.
Kylie Kimpton Soils Group Convenor on a Landcare Field Day with Landcare members and friends
“I like to have a round table chat where everyone introduces themselves and has a two-minute talk about what things look like currently on their farms,” said Mrs Kimpton. “The last few years have been dry, and it’s good to get together and talk about worries, trials and tribulations.”
Climate Change in Australia uses analogues to compare the climate in different places throughout Australia. It claims to show that by 2090 the environment of the Yass region will be similar to places such as Forbes, Wagga Wagga and Gilgandra. This is using a model that tracks emissions at a rate of 8.5 RCP. This refers to concentration pathways of carbon at a rate of 8.5 watts per square meter across the planet.
Landcare is trying to educate people on the severity of this situation and make sure that steps have been taken to not only combat these changes but to adapt to them as well. It is not only about what can currently grow, but what will still survive ten or fifty years in the future. Yass has a range of primary producers which specialise in local produce for our region which the climate changes will have the most significant effect.
Regenerative agriculture is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to help combat climate change. Regenerative agriculture aims to increase biodiversity, improve the water cycle, and strengthen the soils found on farms. Through this, the farm’s yield will increase over time which is both more sustainable and profitable for farmers.
“Regenerative agriculture is a really exciting process and is not focussing so much on killing weeds and bugs but instead allowing a range of plants species to grow. It’s about letting everything grow and not fighting it all the time because you can lose focus on what you want to grow if you only focus on what species you don’t want to grow” said Mrs Kimpton.
“I’d like to tell as many people that are interested or curious as to what Regen Ag is all about and take a bit more of a holistic approach towards farm planning,” said Mrs Kimpton.
This workshop is a follow up on the soils courses and the grazing days held in the past where there was a lot of discussion about plant recovery. Planning your farm so that you can give you plants adequate time to recover before they are grazed again.
“At this time, we have more grass than we can use, but it is by no means wasted if it can be given back to the soil,” said Mrs Kimpton
To attend the event, please contact Kylie Kimpton at kylie.kimpton@yan.org.au. The cost will be $10 for non Landcare members. Anyone attending should bring their own food and water due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Farm Planning day has plenty of space and tables to spread out, so COVID restrictions will not be a concern on the attendance.
By Ryan Betts
