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Bruce and Andrea Vallance are dairy farmers based on the Great Ocean Road near Nullawarre in Southwest Victoria. They have been trialling mixed species pasture crops. Kirsty Hawkes visited them in February 2022.

Image: Bruce and Andrea Vallance with Border Collie, Bailey, in front of a native species shelter belt which they planted.

Adam and Cath Jenkins of South Purrumbete stopped dairy farming in 2021. Their land is now devoted to egg and beef farming with some dairy cow agistment and occasional holiday campers. They joined HDLN’s Climate Resilient Farms project to see how their mixed species paddocks develop. Kirsty Hawkes visited them in February 2022.

Andrew Irvine runs a beef farm near Peterborough. He has been restoring wetlands, fencing off bush and trialing mixed species pasture. Cocksfoot, or Dactylis glomerata, is a mainstay of Andrew’s pasture. It is suited to low fertility and acidic soils. Kirsty Hawkes visited him in May 2022.

Image: Andrew and his kelpies in a recently grazed mixed species pasture where chicory is champion.

Craig (Reggie) Davis started composting his dairy farm waste over ten years ago and now produces 2000 tonnes of compost a year. As a result, he has cut his annual $150,000 fertiliser bill by over half and his use of synthetic fertiliser by 70%. Now he’s looking to mixed species pasture to cut down artificial inputs even more.

Reggie feels he appreciates nature more than he used to. The grey shrike thrush regularly visits the Davies family and which they know as the rainbird. Has anyone else come across this term for the bird?

Chris Hibburt and Katy Millard have been trialing mixed species pasture crops, planting trees and creating wetlands on their farm near Port Campbell in Southwest Victoria. Kirsty Hawkes visited them in April 2022.

Increasing birdlife on the farm is not only good for the soul, but good for the soil. Bird manures are very high in nutrients, especially nitrogen because urine is contained in the droppings. Duck dung is especially high in potassium, phosphorous, and nitrogen. It contains more liquid than chicken manure, which means it provides plants with the nutrients without burning them. Duck manure has a 2.8:2.3:1.7 NPK ratio. The more evenly balanced the ratio, the better the fertilizer. Birds are also a natural defence against unwanted insects and parasites.

Cover pic - Katy and Chris with dog Chester in front of the lake they have created which has given them, and the local wildlife such as the Australian shelducks, so much joy.