Landcare and resource management projects achieving on the ground results were the subject of a visit by the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister, Luke Hartsuyker, and Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, when they visited a property near Gravesend in the North West region of NSW.
Mr Coulton said it is exciting to see firsthand the local Landcare and natural resource management projects making a real difference for farmers and landowners in the Electorate of Parkes.
“We have community members, farmers and other landcarers across NSW forming Landcare groups and committing their support to an integrated, productive and sustainable approach to land management,” Mr Coulton said.
“Now is the time to recognise and celebrate these hardworking Australians committed to protecting the environment and delivering sustainable agriculture, with nominations for the NSW State Landcare Awards closing on 17 July 2017.”
Minister Hartsuyker said he was thrilled to see the work being done by ThinkTank Farming, a local group focused on sustainably improving soil health.
“This ThinkTank Farming project is a prime example of the benefits protecting and improving the condition of our soils, water, vegetation and biodiversity can provide to both agricultural industries and the environment, and I am pleased to see in person Landcare funding supporting this vital work,” Mr Hartsuyker said.
“As this project is a demonstration site, it’s great to see other landholders who may be interested in undertaking similar work at their properties can easily access these projects and have a look at what can be achieved.
“After 25 years, the National Landcare Program is making a real difference—here in the Electorate of Parkes and around the country—in protecting our soils, water, vegetation and biodiversity, at the same time as increasing farmgate returns for land managers—a win-win outcome.”
“The Australian Government has been—and continues to be—a strong supporter of Landcare, investing more than $1 billion in Landcare in the 2017 budget.”
ThinkTank Farming is a grower driven group that has several demonstration sites focused on investigating ways to improve soil health without a large reliance on synthetic fertilisers or pesticides.
To submit a nomination visit e-award.com.au/2017/landcareawards/newentry/about.php and for more information on the National Landcare Programme, visit nrm.gov.au/national-landcare-programme.

Caption: Aiming to improve farm gate returns are Local Land Services North West’s Kate Pearce,  Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister, Luke Hartsuyker, ThinkTank Farming’s Rachel Dorney and Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton at Gravesend.