Weed Control During the Winter Months

The ideal time to control most weeds is when they are actively growing. This is usually in the warmer months. There are a few that can be controlled at any time of the year.

Two of those significant to this area are Serrated Tussock (Nassella trichotoma) and Cineraria (Cineraria lyratiformis). Both species are, unfortunately, common, and have adaptations for wind dispersal, but can also be spread by water, contaminated fodder, animals and vehicles.

Cinneraria has bright yellow flowers with eight petals which are borne in flat topped clusters at the ends of the branches. Mature leaves are oblong in shape and deeply divided. Juvenile leaves are small and rounded with soft serrations, somewhat similar to geraniums.

Cineraria is an annual plant that can grow and flower through winter. Being an annual, the root system is not very extensive and most plants can be pulled out.

This plant has the ability to produce seeds even if it is pulled out with young buds present. Therefore plants with any sign of a flower or bud must be bagged and later destroyed. At present there are no chemicals registered for Cineraria lyratiformis.

Cineraria is palatable to sheep and can be effectively controlled by confining a number of animals over an infestation. This plant is highly invasive and a dense perennial pasture is the best way of preventing seedling survival.

Serrated Tussock is a highly invasive perennial grass, which, if left untreated, can take only seven years to dominate a pasture or native grassland. It has low grazing value due to a high fibre and low protein content.

The leaves of Serrated Tussock are very fine and when rolled between the index finger and thumb, roll smoothly – like a needle. In Autumn and Winter the leaves are a yellow-green, the tips of older leaves are often bleached by frost.

Serrated tussock

Isolated Serrated tussock plants can be dug up before flowering and turned upside down so no roots make contact with the soil. Fluproponate is the main chemical used in the control of Serrated Tussock. It is a residual chemical that will stop seedlings emerging for a period of about 2 years. Fluproponate is somewhat selective in that it will only kill certain types of grass. However, many of the grasses susceptible to Fluproponate are highly beneficial.

As with Cineraria a dense perennial pasture is the best way of preventing seedling survival.

Further information for identification of Cineraria can be found on the web, for example http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/weeds or http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au.

There are also many good resources for Serrated Tussock on the web. However, Serrated Tussock as a grass is a lot more difficult to identify, and more importantly, to distinguish it from other similar species. A hands on approach is recommended.

Understanding your soil

Want to improve mineral cycles, soil fertility, drought resilience, pasture and crop health and productivity on your patch?

To find out more about the fundamentals of how soil and plants function, come along to Watershed Landcare’s Sustainable Soil Management workshop where we will explore the chemical, physical and biological properties of fertile soil.

The workshop will be presented by Bruce Davison, grazier, soil consultant and creator of the Soilsmith soil test analysis program and the Soilsmith fertcalc program.

“It is easier for me to do what the land needs than for the land to what I want.” said Bruce.

This full day intermediate level workshop will focus on enabling participants to make their own decisions on soil management. Participants will learn to properly read and interpret soil test reports, and calculate amendments with follow-up support.

Our Land: The workshop will be presented by Bruce Davison, grazier, soil consultant and creator of the Soilsmith soil test analysis program.

Workshop participants are also eligible to undertake a subsidised soil test prior to the event. Please contact us for more information.

The workshop will also include a field visit to a nearby demonstration site where Bruce’s process will be implemented in a trial paddock.

The workshop will be held from 9am-5pm on Sunday 2 June at Ilford Community Hall. Attendance is $40 for Watershed Landcare members and $55 for non-members and includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

The course fee also includes the Soilsmith usb which contains a lot of reading and reference material, plus the soil nutrient spreadsheet which is the centrepiece of the workshop as it enables farmers to make their own decisions on soil management.

Please register by Monday 27 May: www.trybooking.com/500697

For more information please contact Watershed Landcare Coordinator, Claudia Wythes, on 0412 011 064 email: info@watershedlandcare.com.au.

This event is supported by Watershed Landcare through funding from Central Tablelands LLS and is a part of the NSW Government’s Local Landcare Coordinators Initiative, supported through the partnership of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW.

Learn how to produce your own liquid gold

Are you interested in keeping bees but don’t know where to start? Join us for a 2 day Backyard Beekeeping course with Bruce White OAM.

The Mudgee Bee Group will be hosting a Backyard Beekeeping course in October and invite novice and experienced beekeepers, as well as people interested in starting up their first hives, to attended.

Renowned beekeeper and industry expert, Bruce White OAM has spent his career in the apiary industry in NSW DPI. He has extensive knowledge of rural beekeeping and frequently delivers courses for Local Land Services and the Amateur Beekeepers Association.

A retired apiary officer from the NSW Department of Agriculture and a hobby beekeeper, Mr White became fascinated with bees when he was in primary school. He got his first hive when he was 13 years old and now boasts over 60 years beekeeping experience.

Mr White is a master at sharing his skills and experience with participants to give each of them the confidence to handle bees and manage a beehive. The course will cover the essentials such as protective clothing, hive design, hive management, biosecurity, honey extraction and a whole lot more in a hands-on, practical weekend.

Liquid Gold: Bruce White showing participants how to use capping knife to extract honey.

The Mudgee Bee Group’s community hives will be available for participants to practise on and gain confidence in handling bees.

The course will be held on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October at the Straw Bale Building, Australian Rural Education Centre (AREC), Ulan Rd Mudgee.

Cost is $285 per person and includes course notes, lunch and morning tea on both days. A discount rate of $215 is available for Watershed Landcare and Mudgee Bee Group financial members.
Numbers are strictly limited and you must pay in full to secure your spot. If you’d like to participate send an expressions of interest to Claudia Wythes, Watershed Landcare Coordinator, on 0412 011 064 or claudia.wythes@watershedlandcare.com.au.

The Mudgee Bee Group and Watershed Landcare would like to acknowledge support from AREC, for hosting the Mudgee Bee Group hives and providing a venue for meetings and the course.

This event is supported by Watershed Landcare and is a part of the NSW Government’s Local Landcare Coordinators Initiative, supported through the partnership of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW.

Soil expert back with us by popular demand

After a booked out workshop last held last year, Watershed Landcare have invited grazier, enquiring farmer and soil specialist, Bruce Davison back to our region to present another Sustainable Soil Management workshop in June.

Bruce Davison has an advanced diploma of agriculture and advanced diploma of agribusiness management. Bruce has also trained in soil chemistry and plant nutrition, compost and compost tea making, Holistic management and certificate IV in training and assessment. Bruce is self employed as a farmer and soil consultant.

Bruce runs a cattle grazing enterprise on the far south coast of NSW where he has had success with utilising biological farming principles to build nutrients in his soils. He is also the developer of the Soilsmith soil test analysis program and the Soilsmith fertcalc program. This fertiliser calculating program is linked to the test analysis program and greatly simplifies interpreting soil tests and calculating amendments, cost per hectare and cost for the paddock.

The Sustainable Soil Management workshop will be presented by Bruce Davison: grazier, enquiring farmer and soil specialist.

This full day intermediate level workshop will focus on enabling participants to make their own decisions on soil management. Attendance at last years workshop is not a prerequisite.

The workshop will also include a field visit to a nearby demonstration site where Bruce’s process will be implemented in a trial paddock.

The workshop will be held from 9am-5pm on Sunday 2 June at Ilford Community Hall. Attendance is $40 for Watershed Landcare members and $55 for non-members and includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

The course fee also includes the Soilsmith usb which contains a lot of reading and reference material, plus the soil nutrient spreadsheet which is the centrepiece of the workshop as it enables farmers to make their own decisions on soil management.

Please register by Monday 27 May: www.trybooking.com/500697

Workshop participants are also eligible to undertake a subsidised soil test prior to the event. Please contact us for more information.

For more information please contact Watershed Landcare Coordinator, Claudia Wythes, on 0412 011 064 email: info@watershedlandcare.com.au.

This event is supported by Watershed Landcare through funding from Central Tablelands LLS and is a part of the NSW Government’s Local Landcare Coordinators Initiative, supported through the partnership of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW.

Implementing innovative ecological approaches to land management

Students from the University of Sydney tour farms in our region to study regenerative agriculture practices

Long before the term ‘Regen Ag’ was coined, many farmers in our region have been implementing innovative, ecological approaches to land management and are now promoting and encouraging the adoption of regenerative landscape management practices to help build healthy, productive and profitable landscapes which are more resilient to the impacts of a changing climate to the next generation of farmers and land managers.

As part of a first year field trip, 55 Agricultural Science and Food and Agribussiness students and 4 staff toured various farming enterprises in the Central West last week. The last day of their expedition brought them to our district to visit properties practising regenerative agriculture.

The first stop was a visit to a 1200 acre grazing property in Goolma producing superfine merino wool. The owners have been trialling and implementing various regenerative agriculture techniques since the mid 90s and the students heard about their focus on managing native pasture, selecting genetics for a more resilient flock, encouraging animals to utilise a diversity of feed and using the livestock as a land management tool. Native biodiversity is also actively managed on the property and a watercourse and wetland have been fenced off for this purpose.

Next the students travelled to Gulgong to explore pasture cropping and enterprise stacking.

Colin Seis developed the method of ‘Pasture Cropping’ in the 1990’s, a no-till practice of sowing annual crops into dormant perennial grass, and since that time has been perfecting the practice on his Gulgong property, ‘Winona’. ‘Pasture Cropping’, combined with planned grazing of livestock enables multiple productive uses from a single paddock, with minimal use of herbicides or other inputs.

‘Pasture Cropping’ has also produced significant improvements in soil health. Studies conducted by Sydney University and CSIRO/Department of Primary Industries showed increases of 204% in organic carbon and 200% in the water holding capacity of ‘Winonas’ soils, over a 10 year period. Soil nutrients and trace elements have increased by an average of 172%.

The benefits of improving landscape function and increasing production results have been internationally recognised. ‘Pasture Cropping’ has been adopted in the United States, South Africa and Norway as well as over 2,500 farms across Australia. Colin Seis has been recognised as a leading performer of regenerative landscape management practices and now spends much of his time travelling all over Australia and overseas training other farmers to implement the technique.

A successful, profitable farm is about more than just land management, and relies on having a robust business structure. One strategy is not ‘putting all your eggs in the one basket’. Colin Seis has built resilience into his farm by diversifying interests. ‘Winona’, traditionally a fine wool property, now also produces fat lambs, grain and native grass seed (it’s most profitable venture). Colin is also a renowned dog trainer and breeder, and dogs from his Kelpie stud are much sought after.