Soils and seas attract grant funding

Another round of the the South East Natural Resources Management Board’s ‘Agricultural Industries Adapting to Variable Climates and Markets’ grants program has just wrapped up.

Natural Resources South East Adaptive Agriculture Senior Project Officer Nicola Turner said the grants supported a mix of new groups and established networks and will greatly benefit the agricultural industry in the South East.

"The grant round aimed to increase knowledge around climate change trends, improve awareness of decision-making tools, create resilience in production systems or increase understanding of what new products can be grown in the region," Ms. Turner said.

Open to agricultural, forestry and fisheries groups, the grant round attracted many applications. There were seven successful applicants to a total value of $30,000. Some of the project topics include:

• dry land salinity
• pastures for grazing systems for the upcoming season
• biomass in the Limestone Coast
• pasture production in the dairy industry
• upwelling research to support fisheries in the South East.

"The grants were so supportive. Our program aims to provide farmers with the skills and tools to achieve a profitable balance between home-grown feed harvest and supplement use," said Kylie Boston, Dairy SA extension officer.

Dannielle England of the newly formed Woolumbool Women in Agriculture Discussion Group said: "This grant will help bring together like-minded women in agriculture to fill the skills and knowledge gap of the group, and provide the opportunity for social interaction in the sometimes isolating lifestyle of agriculture."

This project is supported by the South East Natural Resources Management Board, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.