As part of the Wild Encounters project, we will be investigating threatened species and biodiversity

in our local area. In this week’s Catchment Corner we will be taking a look at the Spotted-tailed Quoll, mainland Australia’s largest carnivorous marsupial.

The Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) is about the size of a domestic cat and can be distinguished from the other Quoll species by the spots on its tail. Usually nocturnal, they are agile climbers but spend most of their time on the forest floor, using hollow logs, rocky outcrops and crevices to shelter and raise their young. Spotted-tailed Quolls have a distinctive bounding gait and a call “like a blast from a circular saw”.

Their diet consist predominantly of medium-sized mammals but this efficient predator will take prey ranging from insects to small wallabies. Carrion is also an important component of the diet.

Habitat includes rainforest, open forest, woodland, coastal heathland and inland riparian forest.

Quolls typically travel along creek lines hunting for gliders, possums, bandicoots, rats, birds and lizards and their home ranges can cover up to 3000 ha. Although their natural habitat is the forest floor, they have learnt to travel across open country; especially farms where they find abundant and accessible food such as rabbits and poultry.

The species used to be widely distributed up to the snowline along both sides of the Great Dividing Range from southern Queensland to South Australia and Tasmania.

Loss of habitat through land clearing for agriculture and forestry has lead to population decline. Quolls were also treated as pests in agricultural landscapes; their love of chicken lead to extensive

extermination through poisoning, trapping and shooting.

Although populations in Tasmania have somewhat recovered, continued habitat fragmentation and competition from introduced predators such as the feral cat and fox have lead to the species being

listed as vulnerable in NSW and endangered nationally.

Have you seen a quoll at your place? Let us know: info@watershedlandcare.com.au

The Wild Encounters project is supported by Watershed Landcare through funding from the Australian Government’s Communities Environment Program and is a part of the NSW Landcare Program, a collaboration of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW supported by the NSW Government.

Through the Landcare Excellence in Sustainable Farming Grants, Watershed Landcare have been working in collaboration with farmer, Colin Seis, to establish a grazing demonstration site to gather empirical evidence to compare animal performance and environmental benefits on a multispecies pasture crop and barley crop.

Growing evidence from the USA and Australia has shown that multispecies crops and pasture diversity increase soil carbon, nutrient cycling, and improve soil biology and farm ecosystems. However, data in the grazing context is limited and this project will build on this understanding. This is particularly relevant in our region as fodder crops are often utilised to supplement pasture during the winter feed gap.

The project was funded through the Meat & Lifestock Australia (MLA) Landcare Excellence in Sustainable Farming Grants, a partnership of Landcare Australia and MLA as part of their community focused Australian Good Meat initiative.

The demonstration site was set up at ‘Winona’, located 20 km north of Gulgong, NSW. ‘Winona’ consists of 840 ha which runs 4000 merino sheep for wool, merino lamb, and mutton production. The property’s pasture is restored native grassland consisting of 50 native grassland species.

The trial site was split into 2 sections, ~10 ha each, to compare animal performance and soil health indicators on single species and multi-species pasture crops.

The single species plot was plated with barley and the multi-species plot planted with a mix of barley, field pea, faba bean, Winfred forage brassica, tillage radish and turnip. Both plots were grazed heavily and treated with a knock down herbicide prior to zero till cropping into dormant native grassland in early March.

Two mobs of lambs were put onto the trial plots in early May. Initial individual weights were recorded and monitored throughout the trial.

Soil chemistry (including trace elements), pasture species composition, crop biomass and soil structure indicators were also monitored throughout the trial. The data collected will be used to compare lamb weigh gains and environmental benefits on a multispecies pasture crop and single species (barley) crop.

Data and results from the first year of the trial are currently being collated and will be presented at an on-farm field day later in the year.

The grazing trial will be extended for 5 years to provide a sufficient time frame to show meaningful trends in changes in soil carbon and nutrient cycling.

The latest Climate Driver Update released by the Bureau of Meteorology suggests an increased chance of above average rainfall across much of Australia during spring. Climate models are indicating a 50% chance of La  Niña forming in 2020 and the possibility of a negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) developing by early spring.

The forecast for spring is looking good, so how do we make the most out of all that water?

One of the best places to store water in our garden or on our farms is in the soil, where it will be available for plant growth long after the rain has stopped. But how do we make sure it gets in there?

Barren soil impedes the infiltration of water into the sub-soil layers. Soil which has been left bare forms an impervious layer on the surface so water runs off rather than soaking in.

The resulting run off causes erosion, washing valuable top soil into dams, creeks and rivers.

Ground cover, a layer of mulch or living plants, increases infiltration of water into the soil. In turn this reduces erosion by decreasing the amount of run off and slowing the flow of water over the surface.

In grazing systems, native grasses provide one of the cheapest and most effective ground covers.

In most instances, native grasses do not need to be sown as they either already exist in a pasture or the seed bank is there. They are perennial so not only provide feed for livestock year round but also have deep root systems which are capable of reaching deeper water.

This means native grasses can sustain active growth, providing green pick and good ground cover, longer than their introduced counterparts.

Native pastures are also relatively easy to manage for ground cover simply through grazing management.

Additionally, native grasses do not require fertilisation, in fact some are hindered by excessive nutrients, so native pastures are cheap to maintain, requiring little inputs other than some consideration from the land manager.

As we move into spring and the temperatures warm up maintaining good ground cover becomes even more important.

A good layer of ground cover prevents the suns rays from directly hitting the soil and lower soil temperatures mean less evaporation.

Evaporation is also reduced by creating a humid environment on the soil surface. Whether that is a layer of living plants or mulch, that humid barrier reduces the flux of water from the wet soil environment into the dry atmosphere.

As much as we all like to see our dams full, before the next time it rains consider the following: Do you want all the rain that falls on your place (and the top soil it takes with it) to end up in a dam where its unavailable for plant growth and exposed to evaporation? Or, deep in the soil…

On a per acre basis small farms can be some of the most productive agricultural holdings. But how do you make the most of your small farm and maximise the profit on what you produce?

Through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, Greater Sydney Local Land Services have developed a series of online resources featuring a broad range of expert advice and information for small scale growers and producers.

Greater Sydney Land Services Manager Vanessa Keyzer said the resources formed part of a major project designed to help the growing number of small-scale farmers in the Sydney basin and other areas in NSW.

“It’s a trend we have been seeing for years now, as the population grows along with the urban sprawl a range of smaller scale producers have emerged in many forms from direct to market vegetable growers to mobile butchers with abattoirs on wheels,” she said.

“This is a tough time for our agricultural industry which has experienced severe drought, fires and floods. We want to do everything we can to ensure our farmers feel supported and still have access to expert advice, information and assistance.”

The “The Big Shift for Small Farms” podcast is a 10 part series produced by the Grow Love Project, dedicated to helping small scale farmers and covers a range of topics including holistic thinking, certification, farm resilience in a changing climate, compost, supply chain innovations mobile abattoirs, healthy soils, startup farming and urban farming.

“Each episode features a variety of farmers and industry experts with direct experience and real-life stories on the topic in question.” Ms Keyzer said.

The podcast can be downloaded from https://anchor.fm/the-big-shift or your usual provider.

The “From the Ground Up – marketing fundamentals” video series was also produced as part of the project. The 3 part series features expert tips and technical, practical advice on the fundamentals of marketing and how to develop a marketing strategy for your business. There is also a workbook you can download to help you develop your own comprehensive and targeted marketing plan.

The video series is available from https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/greater-sydney/key-projects/small-farms-network/from-the-ground-up-marketing-fundamentals-for-direct-to-market-producers

Ms Keyzer encouraged anyone interested in improving their smaller scale farming business, or those interested in starting one to take advantage of these new tools.

“You not only get direct access to a marketing expert, but you get to hear from farmers and key agricultural players across the state about their experiences and what they’ve learnt along the way,” she said.