 Sandy’s new shed was finished just in time for Willyung Farms to host the 2023 Harvey Beef Gate2Plate Challenge Field days! Thursday 23 March was the Schools Challenge with six teams from Agricultural schools in the region being exposed to a range of agricultural topics from animal welfare to feeding requirements. Teams then select students to answer questions on the topics presented. Well done Denmark Ag team – winning the challenge. Students were then treated to the highlight of the day ‘Muster dogs’ trainer Neil giving a very entertaining demonstration of dog mustering. The new shed and surrounds were packed with machinery and trade displays for the main field day on Friday, with approx. 150 attending. Alister Raynor gave a seminar via Zoom, with the opportunity to view the competition cattle and eat yummy steak sandwiches for lunch. OHCG had a display stand on both days, with our new banners looking fantastic. Bruce even got the Harvest Road staff to compete in the sand vs clay fertilizer (magnet) test. The Gate2Plate committee also thanked OHCG and Friends of Porongurup for the loan of Audio visual equipment. The final results of the cattle competition (quite a few teams from the Oyster Harbour catchment) will be presented at the awards night in June. 
0 Comments
 We were blessed with good weather for this year’s Oyster Harbour Accuspread field days, with local farmer's spreaders being tested over 2 Days 13th and 14th of March. The Healthy Estuaries program sponsored Accuspread trainer Russell Nichol to calibrate spreaders and demonstrate the effect of spread pattern accuracy and efficiency of fertilizer spreaders. On the first day at Howie’s (Manypeaks) 3 different Marshall spreaders were tested before and after upgrades/modifications. This included fitting and testing the new ‘widespread kit’ available from Marshall. On the second day, a range of Marshall spreaders old and new, as well as a Kubota 3PL spreader, were tested at the Wrights property (Mt Barker) – with the wind towers giving a good indication of wind direction! The Kubota 3PL spreader performed well spreading Urea and could be adjusted by changing the drop point of fertilizer. Another ‘widespread kit’ was fitted to a Marshall spreader with an improvement in spreading Urea at 30+ meters. It should be noted testing would be recommended when fitting these kits and adjustments could be required to achieve an acceptable spread pattern at the desired bout width. Another interesting aspect was comparing different fertilizers and suppliers using grader boxes to assess the particle size. Too much fine particles show as a lot of dust blowing and results in too much material being deposited directly behind the machine. If greater than 5% fine particles are shown in the grader box, then the bout width may need to be reduced to account for the fertilizer not being thrown as far. Thanks to Russell Nichol for sharing his knowledge (and frustrations!), host farmers, farmers who brought spreaders, and DPIRD for helping empty and weigh the trays.  April 2023: Showcasing Communities Achievement in Restoring Oyster Harbour and it's Catchment10/4/2023 Changing fertiliser practices and revegetating waterways are among the ways farmers and the urban community are working together with the State Government to protect the South Coast’s Oyster Harbour. Oyster Harbour Catchment group meet with the Minister for Water Hon Simone McGurk MLA recently to showcase the work to protect the estuary and support our farmers. Minister McGurk with Sayah Drummond, Chris Norton, and Bruce Radys from Oyster Harbour Catchment Group.  Farmers, including sheep and beef farmer Chris Norton, are changing their fertiliser management practices to prevent excess nutrients from entering the estuary. By focusing on the streams, creeks and rivers that flow into Oyster Harbour, the overall health of the estuary can be protected and improved. Chris shared how participating in the soil testing program offered through Healthy Estuaries WA has helped his farm reduce fertiliser use, with benefits for productivity and cost savings. “We’ve been part of the program for nearly four years and now our fertiliser management program is working exceedingly well,” said Chris. “Now we’ve got to the point where we are not putting phosphate on some paddocks where we’ve got enough. This is a big jump for a farmer that’s all his life just put on a bag of fertiliser which is the easiest way to do it. “But nothing’s fallen over, we’re still getting very good production in our cattle and sheep, and the grass is growing well.” Farmer Chris Norton discussing his soil test results and fertiliser recommendations received through the Healthy Estuaries WA program.  Farmers like Chris have been working with Oyster Harbour Catchment Group, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation through Healthy Estuaries WA. The program supports farmers to make informed nutrient management decisions through regular events and accessible resources. In the urban setting, South Coast Natural Resource Management is working with partners including the City of Albany and the Minderoo Foundation to rehabilitate Yakamia Creek. In the past year, more than 56 local people have been involved in rehabilitating a site on the creek that flows into Oyster Harbour. They have planted 3,600 native seedlings following removal of invasive plants, site preparation and re-contouring along a 200 metre stretch of the creek. Minister McGurk with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s Brett Ward and South Coast NRM’s Natalie Reeves and Johanna Tomlinson.  During the visit Minister McGurk saw how the revegetation was establishing at the Yakamia Creek site and experienced first-hand how to use soil testing equipment. Healthy Estuaries WA is a State Government program that works to improve the health of seven estuaries in south-west Western Australia. To learn more visit estuaries.dwer.wa.gov.au/. April 2023: Showcasing Communities Achievement in Restoring Oyster Harbour and it's Catchment7/4/2023 Changing fertiliser practices and revegetating waterways are among the ways farmers and the urban community are working together with the State Government to protect the South Coast’s Oyster Harbour.
Oyster Harbour Catchment group meet with the Minister for Water Hon Simone McGurk MLA recently to showcase the work to protect the estuary and support our farmers. Farmers, including sheep and beef farmer Chris Norton, are changing their fertiliser management practices to prevent excess nutrients from entering the estuary. By focusing on the streams, creeks and rivers that flow into Oyster Harbour, the overall health of the estuary can be protected and improved. Chris shared how participating in the soil testing program offered through Healthy Estuaries WA has helped his farm reduce fertiliser use, with benefits for productivity and cost savings. “We’ve been part of the program for nearly four years and now our fertiliser management program is working exceedingly well,” said Chris.“Now we’ve got to the point where we are not putting phosphate on some paddocks where we’ve got enough. This is a big jump for a farmer that’s all his life just put on a bag of fertiliser which is the easiest way to do it. “But nothing’s fallen over, we’re still getting very good production in our cattle and sheep, and the grass is growing well.” Farmers like Chris have been working with Oyster Harbour Catchment Group, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation through Healthy Estuaries WA. The program supports farmers to make informed nutrient management decisions through regular events and accessible resources. In the urban setting, South Coast Natural Resource Management is working with partners including the City of Albany and the Minderoo Foundation to rehabilitate Yakamia Creek. In the past year, more than 56 local people have been involved in rehabilitating a site on the creek that flows into Oyster Harbour. They have planted 3,600 native seedlings following removal of invasive plants, site preparation and re-contouring along a 200 metre stretch of the creek. During the visit Minister McGurk saw how the revegetation was establishing at the Yakamia Creek site and experienced first-hand how to use soil testing equipment. Healthy Estuaries WA is a State Government program that works to improve the health of seven estuaries in south-west Western Australia. To learn more visit estuaries.dwer.wa.gov.au/. |
Author: Bruce Radys
Senior Project Officer Archives
August 2024
|
RSS Feed
|
Engage with us online by liking and following us on social media
|
|
We acknowledge the Minang and Koreng people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and live. We pay our respects to the Elders, past, present, and emerging and to the wider Noongar community.
|
Sponsors and Supporters |
|
|
|
|
