All three grants build on previous work done by HCLG. The first two build on the FRRR Tackling Tough Times project and the South East Local Land Services-funded installation of our first soil moisture probe while the third is a continuation of our current Environmental Trust erosion control project. They were:
Federal Government Smart Farms Small Grants Round 4
Our bid for $54,000 was called Learning new ways to manage farm productivity, profitability and sustainability in times of drought and climate uncertainty. It involves running a program of seminars and workshops with expert advisors to present the most recent and innovative farming philosophies and techniques, and visits to relevant trials on research stations and farms. We would also institute our own alternative, perennial grass-based pasture demonstration/seed collection plots and expand our current soil carbon-based soil test program.
Federal Government Future Drought Fund - NRM Drought Resilience Program
Our bid for $109,500 was called Drought forewarning - upskilling producer abilities to use advanced decision-support software to make better informed farm management decisions based on soil moisture content and modelling of scenarios for pasture growth. It involves improving our members, economic, environmental and social resilience during drought by:
installing two additional soil moisture probes; training members to create drought-risk scenarios from the probe information using CSIRO farm system modelling software, GrassGro; trialling 3-D granular mapping and; training members in the CSIRO-developed P tool to add detail to the scenarios.
NSW Environmental Trust Restoration and Rehabilitation Program
Our bid for $170,000 was called Hovells Creek erosion control project stage 2. It involves doing earthworks on erosion gullies in nine category 1 and 2 streams to prevent up to 1200 tonnes of sediment from being eroded annually into Hovells Creek and the Lachlan River. This project aims to reduce threats to threatened species’ habitats, improve water quality in the watercourses and reduce loss of soil and water from properties.
Issues
HCLG has a keen interest in two current (as at January 2021) regional issues that will potentially affect members. These are the proposed raising of Wyangala dam wall by WaterNSW by up to a further 10 metres and the draft Lachlan Regional Water Strategy being developed by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
HCLG has put in a submission to the Parliamentary enquiry on the NSW fast-tracked dams in relation to the first issue and a submission to DPIE on the second issue. HCLG also supported a group submission on the second issue on which the Inland Rivers Network took the lead.