Tweed Shire Council has been awarded a grant from the NSW Environmental Trust to conduct a series of farm field days and workshops over the 2019-2020 period.
To help design the most relevant and productive workshop series possible, Tweed Shire Council engaged Southern Cross University to determine the educational needs of Tweed’s farmers, their preferred methods of engagement and to seek ideas on the best strategies to address environmental challenges on our local farms.
For more information about the project contact:
Eli Szandala
Program Leader, Sustainable Agriculture
Tweed Shire Council
e:
eszandala@tweed.nsw.gov.au
p: (02) 6670 2599
If you would like to join our contact list and receive up-to-date email notifications about the project, upcoming field days and other activities conducted by Council’s Sustainable Agriculture Program just email the word ‘subscribe’ and your relevant land uses e.g. beef cattle and bananas to
agriculture@tweed.nsw.gov.au.
Upcoming workshops
Regenerating soils for healthy vegetable production
Workshop and field day for Tweed vegetable growers with Dave Forrest
*Please note, as places are limited, this field day is specifically for vegetable producers and those entering the industry in the Tweed Local Government Area*
When: 17 March 2020 9am - 2:00pm
Where: Farm & Co. 529 Cudgen Road, Cudgen.
Learn how to manage for well-structured biologically active soil that improves water holding capacity and reduces plant stress through stronger root growth. With these practices you can grow more productive plants which are nutrient dense and more naturally resistant to pests, diseases and climatic stresses.
Dave Forrest, a renowned organic vegetable grower, biological farmer, former TAFE NSW agriculture teacher and Vice Chair for SoilCare, will be exploring common soil health issues with Tweed vegetable producers.
This field day will cover:
- The three pillars of biological farming
- Management tools to restore soil organic carbon
- Improving biology and nutrient availability with organic and biological-based practices
- Cover cropping and crop rotations
- And lots more
Please register for the workshop – bookings essential.
Recent workshops
A range of strategies and decision-support tools are available to assist graziers build more resilient soils and pastures to withstand extreme weather events, particularly drought.
This field day covered:
- Common pasture species and what they tell you about land management and soil health;
- Withstanding weather extremes with good pasture management;
- The role of soil carbon for healthy grazing systems;
- Calculating feed budgets and stocking rates; and
- Strategies for dealing with feed deficits.
The day was facilitated by the following experts:
Please revisit this page in the near future to view the workshop video.
This workshop presented the best practice management options for a number of common pasture and environmental weeds in the Tweed, including Giant Parramatta Grass, Giant Devil’s Fig and more. We focused on prevention strategies and non-chemical control methods.
The day was facilitated by the following experts: