And the Winners are?

What’s in storePage 2: EverGraze

Page 3: Good results starting to show

Page 3: Waterwatch

Page 4: Conventional V Biological Fertilisers in Gunnedah

Page 5: Failure to deliver

Page 6: Photographic Competition

Page 7: Rules of Entry

Page 8: Up Coming Events

www.namoi.cma.gov.au

Head Offi cePO Box 546, 35-37 Abbott Street,

Gunnedah NSW 2380Phone (02) 6742 9220

Fax (02) 6742 4022

Glenn BaileyCatchment CoordinatorPhone 02 6742 9204Mobile 0429 900 329

Angela BakerCatchment Offi cer

Projects & Property PlanningPhone 02 6742 9209

Leith HawkinsInformation Management Offi cer

Phone 02 6742 9213

George TrumanCatchment Offi cer—Salinity

Phone 02 6742 9203

Simon TurpinCatchment Offi cer—Soils

Phone 02 6742 9212

Grazing for Profi t course Gunnedah

27th April 09 to 3rd May 09For more information please contact

Col Easton 0267 645940

Autumn in SpringGunnedah Matters

Up Coming Events Next time you are travelling between Tamworth and Gunnedah, take a glance just west of Somerton, to see a large scale weed infestation.

The weed is the Honey Locust tree Gleditsia triacanthos, an extremely invasive plant that can quickly develop impenetrable thickets.

The forest of Honey Locust is being treated with a mix of Starane and diesel using the basal bark method of application. This method has no effects on native trees as the chemical is all directed towards the target species.

Control started in early October and as you can see from the picture below the Honey locust is in the early stages of death creating an autumn look. After one year the dead trees will be removed and native trees and shrubs planted in its place.

This infestation of Honey Locust was targeted by Namoi CMA as the amount of seeds generated in this one location would be in the millions over the course of the growing season.

If you have a problem with Honey Locust on your property, please call Andrew Schweitzer on 67645914 for control techniques.

Photo taken on the Tamworth to Gunnedah Rd, just west of Somerton 31/10/2008

Merry Christmas

Conventional versus Biological Fertilisers in Gunnedah

Kelvin Biological Fertiliser Trial

With the increases in the price of mineral fertilisers and a lot more discussion on soil and catchment health, the idea of biological farming and grazing systems has gained some momentum. However, there is a real lack of trials testing these systems and this is certainly so in the northern NSW region. In an attempt to try and fi ll part of this knowledge gap a group of landholders, agencies and private business are evaluating biological fertilisers in a native pasture grazing system in the Gunnedah area. It is hoped that this trial will give some answers about the effectiveness of biological fertilisers in comparison to a conventional fertiliser program.

The trial involves four local properties, Namoi CMA, Liverpool Plains Land Management Committee (LPLMC), NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the agribusiness Fertile Farms - a biological fertiliser agent. The idea for the trial came from the four landholders involved who had been to a number of workshops and conferences to learn more about biological systems. They felt they had gathered enough information and wanted to make the next step. They then approached us to see if we would be interested in working with them to set up and run this trial.

Simon Turpin, Soils Offi cer with Namoi CMA said “it has been great to see the enthusiasm of landholders to be not only part of the trial, but to be the real drivers behind it. We are trialling systems that are of interest to the producers. The trials are on their farms and they will be heavily involved in monitoring these sites.

“With the landholders we will not only be monitoring the effect of these treatments on pastures, soil health and soil fertility but also looking to see if we can increase livestock production as well,” Simon added.

As there is no real data from rigorous trial work in regards to the effectiveness of biological fertilisers in this region, Namoi CMA, LPLMC and NSW DPI do not endorse the use of biological fertilisers at present. However, we are still keen to be part of this trial, not only to support the landholders involved, but to get some answers ourselves about biological fertilisers.

The aim of the biological fertiliser trial is to compare results from a conventional fertiliser program against results from products that stimulate the soil’s natural fertility. First, the soils were tested to determine the

limiting factors for both the conventional and the biological system. The chemical soil test revealed that phosphorous, sulphur and nitrogen were low in availability at all of the sites.

The conventional products used to remedy this situation were 130kg/ha of single super phosphate and Arrow leaf clover. The aim of this treatment is to stimulate legume growth which will in turn fi x nitrogen and increase the growth of summer grasses. This treatment should improve groundcover, reduce run-off and soil erosion and provide higher quality feed for stock

“The biological fertiliser trial introduces a second level of complexity by also looking at the microbial populations in the soil,” Julian White from Fertile

Farms said.

A separate sample was sent to a laboratory to analyse the relative

populations of bacteria, fungi, nematodes and protozoa that make up the soil biomass. A compost tea product containing a diversity of soil benefi cial microbes and microbial foods was then selected to improve the existing microbial population.

The phosphorous fertiliser used on the biological trial plots has

a lower salt index and is a slow release, more microbial friendly

product and is less prone to tie up in the soil than single super.

According to Julian the big picture in a natural fertility, or biological system, is to maximize the nutrient cycling pathways and increase soil organic matter levels.

“As there was a large volume of dry standing feed some nitrogen was also added to the microbial spray to give a better carbon to nitrogen ratio to enable effi cient break down of the pasture residues. Increased soil carbon fuels the microbes which secrete enzymes and natural acids to solubilise what we know to be ample amounts of all nutrients that are already in the soil,” he said.

Apart from the soil chemical and microbial tests the monitoring will include pasture composition, pasture quality and quantity and groundcover measurements. Pasture monitoring will be conducted every six months with the fi rst monitoring having already being completed. The trial began in April this year and will run for the next three years with the results being published at the completion.

(LPLMC), NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the agribusiness Fertile Farms - a biological fertiliser agent. The idea for the trial

interested in working with them

Simon Turpin, Soils Offi cer with Namoi CMA said “it has been great to see the

A separate sample was sent to a laboratory to analyse the relative

populations of bacteria, fungi, nematodes and protozoa that make up the soil biomass. A compost tea product containing a diversity of soil benefi cial microbes and microbial foods was then selected to improve the existing microbial population.

The phosphorous fertiliser used on the biological trial plots has

a lower salt index and is a slow release, more microbial friendly

product and is less prone to tie up in the soil than single super.

Namoi Valley irrigator’s trust on Australian Government water policies is waning over its failure to deliver Community Development Fund (CDF) monies despite an Inter-Governmental Agreement signed over three years ago.

Although direct adjustment payments to groundwater irrigators in the Namoi Valley were made, in the vast majority of cases, in late 2007; the payment of the Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Entitlements (ASGE) Community Development Fund (CDF) monies to relevant NSW CMAs is still outstanding.

The Community Development Fund package for the Namoi Valley is $3.4m for three major projects. Two of these will have immediate benefi ts to groundwater irrigators.

(1) $2.1m for Liverpool Plains Shire Council to seek partial alternative water supply to allow the annual transfer of 500mg of water to Zone 1 groundwater irrigators near Quirindi.

This project is of the utmost importance given that Zone 1 groundwater irrigators had a 95% cutback under the ASGE Program.

(2) $0.90m for water use effi ciency programs specifi cally targeted at groundwater irrigators.

The third project worth $400k is more knowledge based and involves a hydrological investigation of groundwater recharge and discharge in Zone 5 near Boggabri.

The Member for New England, Tony Windsor, in seeking immediate release of the Community Development Fund monies, has received no defi nitive answer from Minister Penny Wong.

Namoi CMA General Manager, Bruce Brown, said that “Namoi CMA is calling on Minister Penny Wong to facilitate the immediate release of the CDF monies to enable the above projects to commence as soon as possible.

“The Australian Government has not, despite many requests from the NSW Government, provided its half of the Community Development Fund monies.

Mr Brown accused the Australian Government of attempting to ‘walk away’ from the Inter-Governmental Agreement on the ASGE program.

He said that whilst the groundwater irrigators had given up, in some cases signifi cant parts of their entitlements to satisfy a return to ‘sustainable yield’ the Australian Government has failed to deliver on it commitment to irrigators.

“The timeframe is totally unacceptable and you can understand why irrigators are losing patience and trust with the federal Government on this issue,” he said.

In mid-May, the then NSW Water Minister Nathan Rees had ‘signed off’ on the release of the NSW funds for the CDF package, however the Australian Government’s matching share of funding had still not been received by NSW.

Mr Brown called on Federal Minister Penny Wong to secure the immediate release of the Australian Government’s share of these monies to enable the NSW Government to move to facilitate payment to entities involved in the CDF projects.

“It is now 11 months after the commencement of the payments to irrigators and it is hard to understand the reason for the delay,” Mr Brown said.

For more information please contact Anne Ferguson - (02) 6742 9202 or 0429-048 867 or anne.ferguson@cma.nsw.gov.au

Failure to deliver ASGE Community Development Fund monies tests irrigator’s

trust in Australian Government water policies

Photographic Competition

The Namoi Catchment Management Authority is conducting its fi rst Photo Competition in the Namoi Catchment and the theme is Forests, Fur, Fins and Feathers in the Namoi.

What does the theme mean?The environmental theme Forests, Fur, Fins and Feathers is encouraging people to research biodiversity by studying their local environments to learn about the diversity of native plants and animals in the Namoi Catchment.

What will the judges be looking for?The juding panel will be looking for images that have been captured in the Namoi no earlier than January 2008. Images should be of Forests, Fur, Fins and Feathers in any form, with people, landscapes, places, or in habitats.

Some examples of these would be:

Forests, Fur, Fins & Feathers in the Namoi Catchment

Results starting to showNamoi CMA staff are busy travelling the catchment doing completition of works reports and are seeing some great results. Congratulations to landholders who have already fi nished the on-ground works stage of their projects and we have heard many good news stories of the increased natural resource and production benefi ts from completing these projects.

The completion of works report requires project offi cers from Namoi CMA to visit the property, cite the works and take photos of each completed activity.

We now have access to GPS cameras which allow us to take a precise co-ordinate of where the works have been done which makes it easier to revisit the site and monitor progress in the future.

As part of the completion reports we are also asking landholders to fi ll in a questionnarie about the positive and negative outcomes. With the addition of signatures from the landholder, the Namoi CMA Contract Manager and Program Manager this completes the report.

But this is not the end of the project. In most cases there is a 10 year management agreement and as part of this agreement, monitoring and evaluation will become important over the life of the agreement.

Some examples of works that have been completed and included are below.

Waterwatch is a national community based water quality monitoring program. It promotes environmental awareness and action through involvement. Private individuals, community groups and schools can participate in the Waterwatch program.

Waterwatch encourages cooperation between schools, private individuals, community groups, local government, catchment management authorities, government and non government organisations to ensure that everyone plays a role in keeping our waterways clean and healthy.

Who funds Waterwatch?

At a National level, the Australian government funds Waterwatch through the National Heritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.

Catchment management authorities, water authorities, the corporate sector and local government provide funds to support Waterwatch at a regional and local level.

Who can become involved?

Private individuals, community groups and schools can all get involved in the Waterwatch program.

Your level of involvement, and the type of tests you wish to conduct, is decided by you, the participant.

For example you can become involved in water quality testing for temperature, pH, turbidity salinity, dissolved oxygen or available phosphate. Alternatively, you might wish to become involved in the water bug surveys.

A Waterwatch Plan, identifying your level of involvement, and a minimum of eight samples per year, is required in order to be eligible for training and participation in the program.

What will Waterwatch provide?

Waterwatch will provide any training and equipment you need. Training can be arranged at a time and location that is convenient for you. Training will cover sampling techniques, Occupational Health and Safety, help you develop the monitoring plan, register you as a ‘group’ and show you how to use the Waterwatch database.

As a Waterwatcher you will be part of a network of community samplers based around the Namoi Catchment. We will include you in our newsletter and invite you to our events.

What will the data be used for?

Waterwatch will make the data you collect available to the public, Namoi CMA and other government agencies. Within Namoi CMA the data will be used to help determine future funding priorities.

How can I get involved?

Simply contact your local Waterwatch Coordinator, Stephanie McCaffrey on 0267 645961.

What is Waterwatch?

Riparian fence at Matthew Knight’s

“Mirradong”, Rocky Glen

Watering point in cell centre at Terry

Broomfi eld’s “Winbri”, Kelvin

Pasture establishment at Rory and Mary

Cadell’s “Kroombit”,

Tambar Springs

The EverGraze National Advisory Committee’s (NAC) tour of the Namoi Catchment proved to be a great success for all those involved. The EverGraze NAC is made up of graziers from around Australia, representatives from the Australian Wool Industry (AWI), Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Future Farms Industry (FFI) CRC and NSW Department of primary Industries (DPI). The intention of the tour was to showcase the results of the graziers and agency staff involved in EverGraze in the Namoi.

Simon Turpin, Catchment Offi cer and EverGraze Coordinator for Namoi CMA said “about 30 graziers, industry reps and agency staff from around Australia were extremely positive about the progress of EverGraze and Namoi CMA after the tour that travelled from Tamworth, through Somerton and Manilla then out to Kelvin.

“The group visited local farms involved in EverGraze allowing members to hear fi rst hand from leading farmers how they manage their properties and to see some of the innovative m a n a g e m e n t techniques being implemented in the catchment,” Simon added.

After a visit to John Chaffey’s property at Somerton in the morning the group visited ‘Myall Springs’ at Kelvin, owned by Matt and Mel Carter, to see how they have made great improvements in their native pasture over the past few years. By subdividing large paddocks (taking into account soil type, slope and aspect) into much smaller paddocks the Carters can manage their stock much better.

“In the past we had no real control over stock movements within our large paddocks so some parts of the paddock where heavily over grazed and other areas under grazed,” Matt Carter said.

“We are now seeing huge improvements in the quantity and quality of our native pastures because we can graze, for example, the better fl at country differently to the harder western facing hill country.

“The bare stock camps on top of the hills are disappearing; there are a lot less weeds like saffron thistle present, and there are much better native grasses coming back into the paddocks,” Matt said. The Carter’s EverGraze trial is part of a much larger Namoi CMA grazing project that they have completed on ‘Myall Springs’.”It is great to see Namoi CMA really supporting EverGraze with additional resources, as the win-win opportunities for the catchment and producers involved is enormous”, he said.

Renelle Jeffrey, Project Manager for Sustainable Production Systems at AWI and EverGraze NAC member said “having passionate producers like Matt on board is fantastic as they are great advocates for sustainable grazing principles

which projects such as EverGraze are promoting”.

The EverGraze project is showing that new perennial grazing systems can increase profi ts from livestock while at the same time improve the health of the catchment. With more than 50 demonstration sites and six research sites across the high rainfall zone of southern Australia,

EverGraze is looking at the science and the practical on-farm application of new livestock grazing systems using perennial pastures.

For more information on EverGraze and upcoming events in the Namoi Catchment call Simon Turpin (Namoi CMA) on 67429212 or Lochie Rowling (NSW DPI Extension Offi cer) on 67631166. Alternatively, EverGraze information on Supporting Sites, Proof Sites and extension contact details can be found at www.evergraze.com.au

EverGraze Tour of the Namoi a Success

RRuulleess ooff EEnnttrryy

1. Entries close at 4pm on Tuesday 31 March 2009. No entries will be accepted after this date or time. 2. Entries should be addressed and posted to; Photographic Competition, Namoi Catchment Management

Authority, PO Box 546, Gunnedah NSW 2380 3. An entry form must be completed and signed. 4. Prints must be 4 x 6 inches (10 x 15cm). No exceptions. Negatives of photographs may be required to allow

enlargement to display size. The entrant should sign the declaration on the entry form to confirm that the negative is available and will be made available to the Namoi Catchment Management Authority should they require it for enlargement purposes. All digital images must be printed on photo quality paper and be accompanied by an electronic version.

5. An electronic version of your photographs may be submitted, however they must be supplied on a CD that is clearly marked with the entrants name and contact details that are on the associated entry form. Do not email entries.

6. Subject matter is restricted to the locality of the Namoi Catchment and should address the theme of this year’s competition - Fur, Fins and Feathers in the Namoi. Competition categories are as follows:

AA.. OOppeenn CCoolloouurr

Entries in this category are open to any age. The photograph must be printed in full colour. BB.. OOppeenn BBllaacckk && WWhhiittee

Entries in this category are open to any age. The photograph must be printed in black & white only. Any colour in the photograph will deem it to be not black & white and the photograph will therefore not be judged.

CC.. SSeeccoonnddaarryy SSttuuddeenntt ((CCoolloouurr oorr BBllaacckk && WWhhiittee)) Entries in this category must be in a class or grade from 7 to 12. The photograph can be either colour or black & white.

DD.. PPrriimmaarryy SSttuuddeenntt ((CCoolloouurr oorr BBllaacckk && WWhhiittee)) Entries in this category must be in a class or grade from Kindergarten to 6. The photograph can be either colour or black & white.

EE.. PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall ((CCoolloouurr oorr BBllaacckk && WWhhiittee)) Entries in this category must be classed as a professional. The photograph can be either colour or black & white.

7. Photographs should have been taken no earlier than January 2008, must be unpublished and should not have

won any other competition open to the general public. Entries are unlimited. Entries will not be returned. Please keep a copy of your entry.

8. Each photograph must bear the entrant’s name, address, contact telephone numbers, location and approximate date of the photograph and the category it is entered into. These details must be clearly written onto a sticker such as an address label and stuck to the back of the photograph. Writing directly onto the back of the photograph can detract from the image.

9. The copyright of each entry submitted remains with the photographers, however, the Namoi Catchment Management Authority reserves the right to use any entry for promotional purposes or for reproduction in publications.

10. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The judges are made up of two members of the public and Two staff members of Namoi CMA. Notification of winners will be sent by mail. Prizes will be awarded to the winners and second place. Winners will receive $250 and second place $50.

11. By entering this competition all Professional entrants agree to complete an Australian Tax Office “Suppliers” declaration form. This form acknowledges the receipt of the prize money and is required for Namoi Catchment Management Authority finance keeping records.

12. The Fur, Fins and Feathers in the Namoi Photographic Competition 2008-2009 is open to all interested persons except judges of the competition or Namoi CMA staff.

13. Professional photographers, for the purpose of this competition, are deemed to be: A person who has an active Australian Business Number, and the main stream of business for the ABN

is photography; and/or A person who promotes themselves as a professional photographer (e.g. has business cards and/or

advertises their services).

For more information please contact Kate Jones on 0267 429215