ADVERTORIAL: GREENING AUSTRALIA

FARMING FOR THE FUTURE: ON-FARM PLANTING WITH GREENING AUSTRALIA

Find out how to get paid to plant native trees that integrate into your farm plan and benefit your business.

For fourth generation fine wool sheep farmer Chris Shannon, working with Greening Australia has given him an enormous sense of satisfaction, helping him put native trees back in the ground to improve his property’s resilience and leave a legacy for future generations.

“It’s better for the environment, it’s better for our sheep, it’s better for the country and the birdlife. It’s a win-win situation,” says Chris.

Greening Australia is committed to helping landholders like Chris and Margot Shannon access practical planting solutions that help increase property resilience to extreme weather, better manage erosion, improve livestock welfare and performance, and attract native birdlife. They’ll put in the hard yards on the ground from start to finish too – designing the planting, coordinating suitable seed and plants, putting them in the ground and doing follow up monitoring.

An aerial view of a native planting on the Shannons’ property that provides shade and shelter for livestock while also creating refuges for native birds and animals.

Image by Toby Peet.

With the combined strength of their environmental credits business Canopy, Greening Australia can also help landholders tap into Australia’s carbon market, providing a fully funded end-toend revegetation solution that generates carbon credits and an additional source of income for landholders.

Knowing that an organisation is in it for the impact can make all the difference when thinking about future property management. As a not-for-profit with over 40 years’ experience working with landholders around the country, Greening Australia is a trusted partner committed to long-term outcomes for people and nature.

For many landholders like the Shannons, it’s the support and advice they receive from Greening Australia’s team of local experts that makes achieving their farming vision possible.

“We really want to leave the property in a much better position than when we took it over. And if we all do that it will end up being a much better environment,” says Chris.

Chris and Margot Shannon pictured with Greening Australia’s Graham Fifield. For almost two decades, the Shannons have partnered with Greening Australia to integrate environmental plantings into their farm business.

Image by Toby Peet.

Landholders interested in in learning more can get in touch with Greening Australia via their website at greeningaustralia.org.au/landholders or call 1300 886 589 for a noobligation chat.

Soybeans are an important rotational crop for the region’s cane farmers, and Alan said it could be a saving grace for many of the region’s cane farmers in 2023.

“It’ll be a tough few years ahead, but farming is what we’ve always done,” he says “It’s in our blood and we enjoy what we do, so we will make it work ”

President of the North Coast Oilseed Growers Association Paul Fleming said many farmers are pinning their hopes on a decent soybean harvest this year to recover at least some of the significant losses endured in 2022.

Paul said 98 per cent of crops were wiped out last year in the Northern Rivers region, which is the largest supplier of dryland and organic soybeans in Australia.

Alan Brown, who is hopeful for the future of farming in the region he loves.

“Surprisingly, it’s been a dry start to the year Some rain in late January was a real godsend and I would hope we can get back up to 10,000 to 12,000 hectares of soybeans planted.

."“Prices are reasonably good too and there will be strong demand for soybeans harvested from crops that were planted early, so there is the potential for a good recovery in 2023."

BEEF ‘NURSERY’ STAYS STRONG

The Northern Rivers beef industry has fared better than most in the 13 months since the unprecedented flooding.

Fences are still being replaced and pastures lack some vitality, but record market prices have spurred a speedy recovery.

NSW Farmers Executive Councillor and Rosebank cattle farmer Ron Chittick said the region is a vital ‘nursery’ for supplying young cattle to the east coast cattle market.

Top to bottom: While there is still much to be done in terms of rebuilding in Lismore, there are promising signs of the town coming back to life, with many local businesses reopening

“The beef industry is still going strong – our sector was not as badly impacted as others,” he said “There was lot of damage to fences and shedding, but I would estimate that around 80 per cent of cattle country escaped the worst of it.

“The grass has been very slow to recover, but otherwise everything is back to normal on my farm.”

Ron said the strong cattle market in 2022 has helped keep spirits high in the local beef industry, which is the largest agriculture sector in the Northern Rivers.

“The high cattle prices have been good for those affected farmers that still had some to sell, but it’s difficult for those buying back in,” he says. “The main issue has been the ability to restock for those down river that lost cattle. Some farmers lost up to 100 head, including breeding cows No one really knows exactly how many cattle were lost."