Cudgen project is fertile ground for soil protection
05 December 2017
Landholder and Council partnership keeps soils on farms
A soil management project bringing Council and landholders together has helped stem the loss of fertile soils from one of the most intensively cultivated and constrained farmland areas in the Tweed.
A collaborative approach between Council, farmers and bush regeneration contractors has restored more than 1.5km of strategic sections of waterways along the Cudgen plateau.
Assisted by NSW Environmental Trust funding, more than 8000 natives have been planted to enhance waterways along State-significant farmland and boost landholders’ capacity to manage environmental weeds.
The two-year Cudgen Plateau project has equipped farmers with improved soil management practices to curb erosion on the plateau, leading to improved waterway health and biodiversity.
“The revegetation works are improving stream bank stability and slowing run-off during rain events, to retain more soil on farms,” Council’s Project Officer – Biodiversity, Aiden Sloman, said.
One of the plateau’s youngest sweet potato farmers, Rob Prichard, achieved significant improvements in soil management by creating shallower and wider swale drains, opting for occasional slashing of drains and access roads instead of routine herbicide application. He also installed four sediment detention basins and created a raised vegetated buffer from the adjacent waterway, planting the buffer area with native trees and groundcovers.
“We are really pleased with how the tree plantings and the farm as a whole is coming together,” Mr Prichard said.
“Apart from the environmental benefits, we are creating windbreaks, reducing maintenance and improving the amenity of our farm.”
The program also undertook bush regeneration through weed control in a few small stands of lowland rainforest, an endangered ecological community where threatened species such as red bopple nut and rough shelled bush nut were discovered during the project.
“The area is also home to many varieties of birdlife, including coastal raptors and aquatic species,” Mr Sloman said.
“One of our bush regeneration teams even sighted a comb crested jacana, a vulnerable species in NSW, which highlights the values and potential of small pockets of habitat among highly disturbed landscapes.”
Improved on-farm soil management practices were also adopted to reduce loss of valuable topsoil into the adjoining waterways and improve farm productivity and security.
Results of the project were showcased at a field day in November, where attendees received practical advice about soil erosion and environmental weeds from the Soil Conservation Service and a local bush regenerator.
“Keeping the Tweed’s most productive soils on our farms and out of waterways is an ever present challenge that will only get more difficult under a changing climate,” he said.
“However, if we can encourage and assist farmers to adopt soil management practices, we’ll have more resilient and productive farms, for the benefit of the community and our natural environment.”
For further information about the project and Council’s Sustainable Agriculture program, visit www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/Agriculture.