Biodiversity creates greener pastures for wool growers

November 13, 2007

While clear-felling and pasture improvement might have been the priority thirty years ago, today’s wool growers are taking a more balanced approach to managing native vegetation, thanks in part to research conducted at the University of New England.

Working with 25 local property owners, Associate Professor Nick Reid and other members of the Land, Water & Wool Northern Tablelands Project have identified a range of management practices for profitable, biodiverse wool production in temperate regions.

"Considering over half the average wool property in the region is native vegetation, managing native vegetation is core business for local growers," Prof Reid said.

Among the tactics recommended by the researchers to assist biodiversity are stocking conservatively, fencing of gully erosion, matching fertiliser inputs to land capacity and establishing shelterbelts, including the use of native species.

"It’s in growers' best interests to manage native vegetation well," Prof Reid said. "Shade and shelter is essential for maximising profits and minimising stock losses, especially with our sometimes harsh New England winters."

Managing farms for biodiversity not only increased short-term productivity and maintained producers' options in an uncertain world, but also resulted in a higher quality end-product, Prof Reid said.

"The high-tensile strength, superfine wools that this region is known for are a result of the productive balance between the region’s diverse native and introduced pastures, and accompanying woody vegetation," he said.

Prof Reid also emphasised the importance of careful management of riparian zones (areas near creeks, rivers and dams) to the local ecology, livestock production and catchment health.

"Riparian zones are a crucial bit of the landscape – biodiversity hotspots if you like," Prof Reid said. "If you manage them poorly, your livestock suffer through poor water quality and lack of forage in potentially the most productive part of the landscape, and the whole downstream catchment suffers from water pollution. Manage them well, and everybody benefits."

Among the "true believers" in biodiverse farm management practices are Tim and Karen Wright, whose 3350 ha property, "Lana", lies 24 km west of Uralla. The Wrights are one of ten wool growing families profiled by the project over the past four years.

A healthy natural resource base was "100 per cent important" to the business of running a sheep farm, Mr Wright said.

"We manage for biodiversity because it gives us a better balance – more is good," Mr Wright said.

"The increase in abundance and diversity of cool season perennial grasses has given us more even feed production throughout the year. Clean water in the rivers and dams is valuable for stock, and we have a diversity of birds for pest control," he said.

The project was funded at UNE to the tune of $320,000 by Land and Water Australia and Australian Wool Innovation. Altogether, with in-kind and cash contributions, the project came to about $750,000, Prof Reid said.

"It was great to see organisations and individual farmers getting together to support this kind of project, which benefits and promotes the whole region. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to work with so many, wonderful, progressive people," Prof Reid said.

Posted by Leon Braun at November 13, 2007 12:03 PM