Podcast of the Month

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Great Listening July! … Regenerative Agriculture

By Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator (RALF) Anita Erba.

I met Jack Cresswell at the national RALF Conference in Canberra. He spoke about how his family had been on the land for many generations but he started to notice that the practice of farms being passed on from parents to children was diminishing and this made him worry that the knowledge that would also have been passed on to the next generation was being lost.

He decided to help counter this by starting his weekly podcast “Farms Advice Agribusiness Podcast”.

Drawing on his own experience, and interviewing peers and a wide range of industry leaders and experts his listener numbers continue to grow.

LISTEN NOW: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/farms-advice-agribusiness-podcast/id1517590016

My favourite episode so far is "3 Challenges for Australian Grain Producers"; it gave me a better understanding of the current situation of the grains industry. He teams up with Michael Madden with 37 years farming experience as well as active advocacy roles with bodies such as Grain Producers Australia and NSWFA Biosecurity Committee. Michael talks about his own background in farming and how after a serious farm injury he became more involved with the agribusiness side of farming and industry bodies. He and Jack discuss what he considers the 3 main challenges:

Supply chain issues
Biosecurity
Labour issues

I encourage you to listen to Jack's podcast and let me know if you enjoy it or learn something new!

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/farms-advice-agribusiness-podcast/id1517590016

Great Listening June! … Farm Life & Regenerative Agriculture

Being an avid listener of ABC Western Qld, it’s important to me to know the issues facing our region, but more importantly to hear new opinions and science emerging across South-West Queensland. Now that I have introduced myself to podcasts, I can add this to my repertoire and have something new to do while driving around our patch! I reckon podcasts are like news on steroids - podcasts can take you on that extra journey and help you understand the often complicated subjects of landcare, farm life and regenerative agriculture.

The podcast I chose is by SBS Radio called The Uluru Statement from The Heart. It’s a topic set to gain further momentum following newly elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's recent pledge to honour The Uluru Statement. The Uluru Statement from the Heart calls for a referendum to provide constitutional recognition for a representative body that gives First Nations peoples a voice to the Commonwealth Parliament.

LISTEN NOW: https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/audio/english-the-uluru-statement-from-the-heart

Indigenous and non-Indigenous people would agree that there is something special about living on the land, being connected to place and Country - the land is in our blood, regardless of our heritage.

The past few years have been very challenging for us all, drought, flood, and fire. Climate Change is what future generations of Australians will grapple with, a true test of resilience and adaptation.

The Uluru Statement from The Heart will be historic for all Australians to reimagine our nation. The door is open to explore and combine Western Scientific Knowledge with First Nations Knowledge and set a true course to healing our nation, its citizens and it will bring together our two worlds with 60,000 years of culture as a gift for all future generations.

LISTEN NOW: https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/audio/english-the-uluru-statement-from-the-heart

LISTEN IN LANGUAGE: https://www.sbs.com.au/language/ulurustatement

I encourage you to share your favourite regenerative agriculture or farm life podcasts with us by emailing me at jackson.shillingsworth@sqlandscapes.org.au.

Great Listening May! … Farm Life & Regenerative Agriculture

Dr Ron Ehrlich has been running Unstress with Dr John Ehrlich for some time now. In this podcast, he talks about the relationship between stress and health.

At all ages, our health is the key to everything we do. I don’t ‘have time to be sick’. The topics that Ron covers are varied, backed by scientific research. Stress is a killer - so it's important to do everything we can to reduce it in our lives!

One of the big questions posed in this episode is - what activities do we do for ourselves that helps us de-stress? ‘Walking – Make it the habit of a lifetime’, talks about the pace of walking, the speed of walking and what walking indicates about our health. Walking is a slow and time consuming activity for us to chat to our partner or loved one. Life is so busy, so slowing things down enables us to think, to get oxygen streaming through our bodies, enabling our bodily systems to clean themselves through a good old-fashioned sweat! It’s also good to look, listen, smell and feel something different, feel the rain on our face as we are engulfed by nature!

LISTEN NOW: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/healthy-bite-walking-make-it-the-habit-of-a-lifetime/id1333795919?i=1000540688331

I love walking – whether it be along the beach, in the rainforest, or just walking to the shops for a few groceries. I have a 9 kilometre beach walk that I do each morning when I can, and I’ve always enjoyed walking in the salt air. There are so many amazing things, funny things, beautiful things to see, smell, touch, and be immersed within when you are walking. Walking can slow you down, change your attitude, allow you to be grateful for the day you are living – because it is the only one you have at the time … waves crashing, kids giggling, dogs running in circles, smiles on faces, older people enjoying the outdoors at their own pace, the colours and textures of the bush, cymbidium orchid flowers hanging out of the fork in the tree, the musty smell of wet leaves, crisp winter mornings where you have to get moving or get cold.

What are your favourite walks? Do you walk regularly and with who? Is walking your ‘me time’?

I encourage you to share your favorite regenerative agriculture or farm life podcasts with us by emailing me at keith.walker@sqlandscapes.org.au

Great Listening April! … Regenerative Agriculture

By Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator (RALF) Anita Erba.

In rural communities and on farms, we all spend a lot of time driving, and one way to make use of that time is to listen to podcasts or audiobooks on your smartphone. There are lots out there to choose from, so we've decided to pick a favourite every month to share.

This month, we wanted to feature ‘Ground Cover’ Australian podcast made by the Regenerative Ag Alliance and Southern Cross University, who interview real farmers for the benefit of land managers all over Australia. It’s made by farmers, for farmers!

Ground Cover is a series of nine podcasts exploring real life stories of Australian farmers who have chosen to move from conventional farming to regenerative agriculture. Click on the image or link below to listen now!

LISTEN NOW: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ground-cover/id1479675823

My favourite is Episode 1 of Ground Cover. This one features Charles Massy, a well-known author and academic, who discusses life on-farm during a long drought in the 1980s. Charles says that he began to think about how a major shift in thinking was needed to repair the land and to enable agriculture to be regenerative rather than destructive.

Charles also wrote ‘Call of the Reed Warbler’ as a way of helping others to understand the need for regenerative practices by showcasing other innovative farmers, so this episode of Ground Cover with Charles Massy goes down as my favorite in the series!

I encourage you to share your favorite regenerative agriculture podcasts with us by emailing me at anita.erba@sqlandscapes.org.au.

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Revitalising the Condamine Headwaters: A Testament to Community and Conservation

25 September 2024

The Condamine Headwaters, a critical ecosystem in Southern Queensland, has long faced threats from sedimentation, habitat degradation, and thermal regime changes. The Blackfish Project, dedicated to reversing these impacts, unites scientists, landowners, and the community in a shared mission to restore and protect this vital environment. At its core lies the river blackfish, a sensitive indicator of the overall ecosystem health. Central to the project's success is the unwavering commitment of landowners like Paul Graham. Inspired by the project's vision, Paul reached out to SQ Landscapes seeking support for a solar pump and tank to divert his cattle away from waterways on his property. Paul's deep-rooted love for his land, captured in his humorous quip "I love my land more than I love my wife," is a testament to the powerful connection between people and place that drives conservation efforts.

Strategy on the Agenda at SQ Landscapes Board Meeting

by Caleb Back • 31 October 2023

The Board of Southern Queensland Landscapes recently met in Toowoomba. In addition to the Board meeting, Board and Executive worked through updating SQ Landscapes’ strategy. Company Secretary Pam Murphy highlighted the importance of the latest Board meeting and what it means for the company’s future. “The updated strategy will help SQ Landscapes deliver sustainable natural resource management (NRM) outcomes that improve the lives of people in regional communities now and for the future,” Pam Murphy said. “We’re excited to continue delivering value for our region and build Flourishing Landscapes and Healthy Communities across Southern Queensland under the guidance of the Board,” Mrs Murphy said.

SQ Landscapes' Annual General Meeting 2023

by Caleb Back • 5 September 2023

Annual General Meeting When: Wednesday, 13 December 2023 Where: Online via Zoom Time : 9.00am for 9.30am start

Learn How Sophie and Adrian Transformed Their Wallet and Soil at “Bellhaven Brook”

by Caleb Back • 5 September 2023

When Sophie and Adrian McInnerney began adopting their “paddock to plate” experiment into their lambing business, they quickly discovered how a new and exciting approach to running their enterprise transformed their resilience and soil health. Multi-species cover cropping was the answer, and now their business has become a diverse enterprise that has embraced variations in livestock feed and crop rotation, building riparian fencing, and investing in healthier soils. This has opened the young couple to new opportunities to create new revenue streams, protect their business against natural disasters, drought, and prepare for economic hardships. Their property, “Bellhaven Brook”, located just an hour east of Goondiwindi, was the site of Macintyre Ag Alliance’s latest Multi-Species Cropping Field Day. With the support of Southern Queensland Landscapes (SQ Landscapes), the event aimed to promote the McInnerney family’s new land practices, offering an opportunity to educate land managers in the region of new ways to strengthen their property and enterprise. SQ Landscapes’ Goondiwindi-based Project Delivery Officer Keith Walker joined land managers for the workshop and highlighted how multi-species cover cropping could pave the way to rebuilding healthy soils and farming enterprises. “What was great about visiting ‘Bellhaven Brook’ is that you don’t have to be a scientist to understand this stuff. The idea is to just try and experiment like the McInnerneys did,” Keith Walker said. “These cover cropping systems are all about building your experience, experimenting and slowly developing a healthier and richer soil profile; which is the basis of all businesses; cropping and grazing alike.” Mr Walker said. “It was interesting to see the range of people, the ages from young and old, and the differences in enterprises. It’s a reminder that this genre of agriculture is starting conversations,” he said. “It’s all about implementation on the ground and getting the results for less money and experimenting with what people are doing.”

How Camels and Cool Burns are Transforming Risdon Stud

by Caleb Back • 2 August 2023

Cool burns, camels, and funding for local farmers were on the agenda at 'Risdon Stud' as land managers Nick and Liz Suduk hosted the Southern Queensland Landscapes and Department of Resources site visit to showcase the success of the Natural Resources Investment Program 2018-2022 (NRIP). Risdon Stud, south of Warwick, was primarily a high-intensity horse stud, but under new ownership with the Suduk family, the focus has been on restoring productivity and landscape health. “The Suduks participated in the NRIP project, where they received on-site guidance from First Nations fire practitioner Robbie Williams from Fire Lore, for cool burning in native vegetation areas,” Project Delivery Lead Natasha Mylonas said. “This was their first exposure to this type of burning and they have since embarked on a journey towards building their confidence in applying it elsewhere on the property,” Ms Mylonas said. “The NRIP project also supported livestock fencing, largely to exclude cattle from a large patch of remnant vegetation, combined with weed management in that remnant vegetation,” she said. “It is really difficult to muster out of the remnant vegetation, so the fencing has meant easier mustering of the cattle, as well as reduced weed spread and damage to the native vegetation in the patch.” “Outside of the NRIP project, they maintain a herd of agisted camels as part of their weed management strategy and experimented with fire to manage wattle regrowth,” Natasha Mylonas said.