Future proof your farm
17 May 2018
Free climate adaptation and renewable energy workshop for rural landholders
Farmers and other rural landholders are invited to a free workshop about climate change adaptation and the latest renewable and energy efficiency solutions for landholders.
Council are delivering the workshop in collaboration with relevant state agencies and Tweed Landcare Inc to provide landholders with the latest climate projections, strategies for dealing with climate variability and extreme weather events as well as renewable energy options for small holdings.
Council’s Program Leader – Sustainable Agriculture, Eli Szandala, said a wealth of expertise from relevant state and local government agencies will be on-hand to provide participants with the latest advice on regional climate impact projections and what it means for their business.
“Unfortunately we can expect more severe weather events and prolonged dry spells in the future, but the good news is there are ways to ‘future proof’ your farm, or in other words make your farm more capable of withstanding the anticipated impacts of a shifting climate,” Mr Szandala said.
Local cane farmer Robert Quirk and dairy farmer David Wilson will be speaking about how they have adapted their farming practices to accommodate climate variability and future projections. Having experienced the impacts of extreme weather events firsthand they have developed production systems that help to withstand such events.
“It’s also an opportunity for rural landholders to learn from industry experts and solar providers about selecting the right solar powered pump for their agricultural needs.
Rainbow Power Company will have their solar technology on display giving landholders the opportunity to find a system that suits their farming needs or learn how to make existing pumps more energy efficient.
Byron Biochar will also provide insights into the benefits of biochar for farm productivity and carbon sequestration with advice on how to turn unwanted organic waste into valuable biochar.
The event, to be held at Tropical Fruit World at Duranbah on Tuesday 5 June from 10am to 1pm, is one of a series of sustainable agriculture workshops being delivered by Council throughout 2018.
The next workshop will be held at Cudgen on 19 June where world-renowned ecologist Dr Wendy Seabrook will provide practical guidance on utilising natural processes to improve production systems whether they are commercial farms, market gardens or urban vegetable patches.
All welcome but bookings are essential by contacting the Program Leader – Sustainable Agriculture on (02) 6670 2599 or eszandala@tweed.nsw.gov.au.
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Photo 1(JPG, 167KB)
Caption: A solar water pump in action