Researchers invite Boyup Brook farmers to drought preparation workshop

Boyup Brook farmers are invited to a drought preparation workshop to learn about the latest research for healthier farms and farm businesses. South West NRM program manager of sustainable agriculture Peter Clifton said the workshop would be an opportunity for farmers to learn about natural capital accounting, reducing the impact of salinity on the land and biodiversity opportunities. South West Drought Hub Bunbury Region Node Lead will hold the workshop at Rylington Park in Boyup Brook with a panel of speakers on October 23. Mr Clifton said Tom Picton-Warlow will talk about how farmers can repair natural capital on their farm, and earn a biodiversity certificate. Rhodes Pastoral farm manager Michael Wright, who manages about 16,000ha in Boyup Brook, will present a local case study. “He will talk about how he has improved water quality and supply over the past eight years, including installing a key central dam, roaded catchments, silt traps and a desalination plant,” Mr Clifton said. Expert Dr Richard George will present on drought and desalination, and the Facey Group will talk about confinement feeding and deferred grazing. “It’s about the critical feed gap period, March and April, when the feed starts to run out, and farmers start to use a lot more supplementary feed,” Mr Clifton said. “A lot of farmers over the last five or so years have started to bring their sheep mainly into confinement pens over that period, so they can take the livestock off the land at a time when ground cover is getting low.”