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NRM Dashboard keeps eye on Wheatbelt environment
People living in the Wheatbelt will now have a clearer picture of their local environment’s health with our new web-based NRM Dashboard that tracks 12 indicators for environmental health, including soil acidity, vegetation cover, salinity and catchment dryness.
The NRM Dashboard is accessible through smart phones, tablets and computers and will be a useful tool for communities doing environmental work to see what impact their work and ours is having collectively on the Wheatbelt.
“We are bringing together data to give us a better picture of what is happening in the Wheatbelt,†says CEO Natarsha Woods.
Other indicators include farm financial viability, waterway acidity, eutrophication, sedimentation and population trends.
View the NRM Dashboard online HERE
NOTE - this is a 'LIVE' site and a work in progress. As such, we value your feedback and data suggestions.
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Wheatbelt NRM under 40 Board Scholarship
Do you want to gain leadership experience and training?
Would you like a chance to influence the direction of a well-established not for profit organisation?
Are you under 40 years old?
Wheatbelt Natural Resource Management is looking for the next generation of decision makers to gain hands on experience in guiding the strategic direction of our organisation.
A $10 000 scholarship is being offered to a young leader under the age of 40 to join our Board of Directors. The scholarship will provide training and mentorship to help you gain the skills needed to contribute to as a Director and grow your leadership potential.
The process is simple, just tell us why you would like to join the Wheatbelt NRM Board of Directors and submit your CV to apply.
The Wheatbelt NRM Board of Directors meet 6 times a year and members are compensated for travel and sitting time.
To apply visit www.wheatbeltnrm.org.au/scholarship or contact Tyanna Jankauskas on 9670 3100 to find out more.
Applications close Monday 21st December 2015.
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Sustainable Agriculture Small Grants 2015-16
The Australian Government has put out a call for applications from the community for the Sustainable Agriculture Small Grants.
Grants range between $5500 and $55,000 (GST inclusive) are available to increase industry capacity and support the adoption of productive management practices.
Wheatbelt NRM’s Regional Landcare Facilitator, Leigh Whisson, is available to assist interested community groups and individuals in applying for this grant. He can also help groups develop their project ideas and decipher the grant guidelines.
Wheatbelt NRM can assist unincoporated groups in applying for the grant by sponsoring their application (see Guidelines, 6.0 Who is Eligible to Apply for Funding). Wheatbelt NRM may also be able to provide in-kind assistance by partnering in workshops and other events.
If you are considering applying for this funding, contact Leigh Whisson on (08) 9670 3136 or via lwhisson@wheatbeltnrm.org.au
Applications close: Monday 7 December 2015, 2.00pm (AEDT)
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Other funding
Grower Group R&D Grants Program – Funding for WA’s agrifood businesses to grow their share and value in international markets. Closes: 2 December 2015 HERE
Australian Institute of Management: Not for Profit Scholarship – Training up to $4,000 for participation in AIM’s Open Programs. Closes: 5 December 2016. HERE
Volunteer Grants 2015 – Federal funding up to $5000 to help community organisations with equipment, fuel and training. Closes: 9 December 2015. HERE
Community Gardens Grants – Funding up to $20,000 for new gardens and up to $10,000 for existing gardens available. Closes: 17 December 2015. HERE
Whole Kids Small Seeds Community Grants – Supporting grassroots organisations to improve children’s health and wellbeing. Closes: 31 December 2015. HERE
Regional Events Scheme – Funding of $5000 to $50,000 to develop smaller, regional events in WA. Closes: 1 February 2016 HERE
The Horizon Scholarship – Scholarship up to $5000 for Agriculture students and future leaders. Closes: 19 February 2016. HERE
National Industry Scholarship – Initiative supporting development of emerging and established women leaders. HERE
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National Landcare grants flow across the Wheatbelt
The Australian Government has welcomed the announcement of our third round of Bushcare Grants, with 32 more landholders to share in $278,462 of grants under the National Landcare Programme.
The successful projects include a range of activities that will help secure habitat for more than 30 nationally listed species throughout the Wheatbelt NRM region.
In total, the 32 landholders have committed to delivering over 80 kilometres of fencing to exclude stock from 330 hectares of important vegetation, improving management through revegetation across at least 300 hectares and controlling feral animals to benefit threatened species. Read MORE
The next round of our Bushcare Grants will open in December 2015.
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Control ferals this spring!
Wheatbelt NRM has help for landholders to protect native animals from feral animals on their properties, by conserving remnant bushland.
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Check our website for more information on baiting, trapping and shooting feral foxes.
Contact: Anika Dent | adent@wheatbeltnrm.org.au | (08) 9670 3100
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Baiting permits now available online
The process for obtaining permits to use Restricted Chemical Products (RCP) such as1080 or strychnine to control wild dogs, rabbits or foxes has been centralised and streamlined by DAFWA.
Applications for RCP permits can now be completed by landholders online. They are required to enter details about the baiting period, timeframes, bait requirements, as well as a map of the property showing details about the intended bait location. Read MORE
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Mortlock Connections
Wheatbelt NRM has funding to help landowners in the Mortlock Catchement to protect or connect remnant vegetation on or near their properties.
- feral animal control
- biodiverse revegetation
- environmental weed control
- fencing of remnant vegetation & revegetation areas.
Read more HERE and HERE
Contact: Anika Dent | adent@wheatbeltnrm.org.au | (08) 9670 3104
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Help boost Australia’s rabbit biocontrol action
Wildlife researchers are urging landholders, farmers, community groups, and councils to help monitor rabbit numbers during the impending release (Autumn 2016) of a Korean strain of the Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus, known as RHDV1 K5, which aims to boost the effectiveness of the current RHDV1 strain released in 1996. MORE
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Order your 2016 seedlings now!
When ordering your seedlings for next winter’s planting season, consider eucalypts endemic to Western Australia’s Wheatbelt.
According to Elders farm sales auctioneer and WA Eucalypt Guru Malcolm French, planting eucalypts on your farm can potentially add value to your farm.
You can visit Malcolm's website on the Eucalypts of Western Australia's Wheatbelt to learn more.
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Think about planting these Wheatbelt eucalypts:
- E. aequioperta (Welcome Hill Gum)
- E. camaldulensis subsp. arida (inland river red gum)
- E. loxophleba subsp. loxophleba and subsp. supralaevis (York gum)
- E. myriadena (small-fruited gum)
- E. salmonophloia (salmon gum, wooruc)
- E. densa subsp. densa (narrow-leaved blue mallet)
- E. ornata (ornamental silver mallet)
- E. salubris (gimlet, fluted gum)
- E. spathulata (swamp mallet).
For help locating seedling suppliers in your area, contact:
Rachael Major | (08) 9670 3119 | rmajor@wheatbeltnrm.org.au
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Brown manuring of lupins in Bolgart
Brown and green manuring of leguminous crops is a great way to control weeds, increase soil cover, improve soil fertility, conserve soil moisture and increase soil fertility. Adding legume mulch can also increase the levels of carbon within the soil.
Wheatbelt NRM has been working with Bolgart farmer Trevor Syme to find out if brown manuring of lupin crops can help improve his soil fertility, decrease the weed burden and improve the levels of carbon.
“In the past we have grown up to 50% of our cropping program to lupins as a cash crop and also as a legume for natural nitrogen. Now with the onset of chemical resistant weeds and drier rainfall years it has become uneconomical to grow lupins, but in saying that our highest yielding wheat crops are those that follow a lupin crop†says Trevor.
This has led Trevor to look for other options for the wheat/lupin rotation.
“It is all about a systems approach by rotating chemicals, crops and by using every tool in the shed too stay sustainable and profitable.†Read MORE
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Noombat / Numbat / Banded Anteater
Numbats (Myrmecobius fasciatus) eat about 20,000 termites a day, using their long sticky tongue to dip into narrow cavities in logs, leaf litter and in small holes in the ground to get termites. Numbats do not need to drink water: they get enough moisture from termites. Numbats are active during the day when it warms up enough for termites to become active. Numbats live alone because termites are small and hard to find, and numbats can not afford to share them. Numbats travel large distances to find termites so their home range is between 25 and 50 hectares in size.
“Rocky Ford is coming back towards Brookton from [Boyagin], that’s where there used to be a lot of noombats. Wadjalas [white people] call them numbats. We call them noombats. Footballers. Hawthorn football colours. They’re hard to pull out of a log, you’d never pull them out, you’d grab them by the tail. Nearly pull the tail off they wouldn’t come out of that log. Their nails stuck in. They’ve got good claws. We used to catch them just for let them go again [when we were kids].†– Don Collard
Excerpt from Boodjin Rock Storybook, p17.
Photo courtesy and copyright of Numbat Task Force
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Expression of Interest
– NRM Information Collation
& Copywriting
2 month position, 2 days per week
Northam, WA
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Wheatbelt NRM is seeking a person with skills in research, content creation, copywriting and editing for a casual position helping build a Natural Resource Management Sites Mobile Application of past projects and environmental sites in the Wheatbelt. The successful applicant will require an ABN and issue invoices for service.
Submit your expressions of interest to Chris David, Project Manager Marketing and Communications, via cdavid@wheatbeltnrm.org.au with a current CV and covering letter addressing the required skills, and quoted hourly fee for service. Or contact him for more details on (08) 9670 3107.
Submissions close: Thursday 10 December 2015
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Executive/Project Officer
Southern DIRT is seeking a dynamic individual to engage with industry and growers to build profile, grow membership, deliver on strategic vision; and manage the organisation’s operations and projects.
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The preferred candidate will possess project management skills, agricultural experience and/or a degree in agriculture. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential.
For more details, contact Pip Crook on 0427 342 230 or via eo@southerndirt.org.au
Download position description | Apply online
Applications close: Friday 13 November 2015
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Mentors sought for Agribusiness students
Curtin University is looking for producers and businesses involved with agriculture to mentor Agribusiness students as part of the Work Experience program. As part of Curtin's Agribusiness course, students are required to complete 50 hours of industry experience over the course of their degree. Click HERE for more details.
For more information, contact Dr Susan Low on (08) 9266 4195 or via susan.low@curtin.edu.au
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INDIGENOUS RANGERS LAUNCH WORKING FOR OUR COUNTRY REPORT IN PARLIAMENT
Indigenous rangers from Ngadju, Bardi Jawi, Anangu, Olkola and Dhimurru Indigenous land and sea management programs have travelled to Parliament to present a representative for Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion with a report outlining the economic and social benefits of Indigenous ranger and Indigenous Protected Area programs. MORE
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Australian National Outlook is bright
Ground breaking report from CSIRO looking at economic activity, resource use, environmental performance and living standards from 1970–2050. MORE
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Red-tailed phascogale bounces back
The endangered red-tailed phascogale now has a new home at the community-managed Wadderin Sanctuary in Narembeen. MORE, MORE and MORE
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DPAW app gets people outdoors
New CampingMate app for iPhone and Android helps campers create and share camping checklists to make it easier to get outdoors and experience WA’s natural wonders.
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Kangaroos and climate change strategy
Kangaroo emissions are less damaging than sheep and cattle but could help decrease emissions impacting climate change. MORE
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CSIRO Eddy home energy app
CSIRO have developed a new tool that allows people to control their electricity consumption- anywhere, anytime. MORE
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WA Landcare Network 2015 AGM, 16 November 2015, Mundijong. HERE
AHRI CCDM Crop Protection Forum, 23 November 2015, Perth. HERE
Dept of Ag & Water – AgVet Reform Workshop, 23 November 2015, Perth. HERE
Australasian Wildlife Mangement Society 2015 Conference
23-26 November 2015, Perth. HERE
Grain & Graze 3: @Risk Workshop, 24 November 2015, South Perth. HERE
GIWA Seeding Success, 26 November 2015, Perth. HERE
GGA EO Operations Meeting, 26 November 2015, Perth. HERE
AAAC Outlook, 27 November 2015, Perth. HERE
Low Stress Stock Handling Course
7-8 December 2015, Narrogin. | 10-11 December 2015, Northam. HERE
2016 GRDC Grains Research Updates, 29 Jan – 1 Feb 2016, Perth. HERE
NACC ‘Sustainable Agriculture in a Changing Climate’ Forum,
10 February 2016, Coorow. HERE
2016 GRDC Farm Business Update,
10 February 2016, Narrogin. HERE Dalwallinu, 11 February 2016. HERE
Liebe Group: Trials Review Day, 16 February 2016, Dalwallinu. HERE
WAFarmers Annual Conference, 18-19 February 2016, Perth. HERE
National Seed Science Forum 2016 | 14-16 March 2016, Mt Annan, NSW. HERE
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