Regrowth: How can you manage the little suckers? (May 2011)
 Native vegetation regrowth is recognised as a major problem on large areas of cleared country
in the Top End of the Northern Territory. Since land was first cleared in the Top End (especially
for pasture production), the control of regrowth has been one of the main issues facing the
landholder.
Trials on the control of native vegetation regrowth have been ongoing since the
early 1960’s. The earliest formal trials were conducted at Kununurra, Western Australia, in 1962
and on Tipperary Station, Northern Territory in 1965.
Both mechanical and chemical control
measures were trialled. Neither of the trials found any really effective control measure, although
the use of a one way plough provided limited control.
Download the full report here...
 Building capacity in soil conservation and land management through community action and learning (November 2010)
The NT Agricultural Association obtained a grant under the NRMNT Board’s community landscape program to design and deliver two soil conservation workshops to primary industry and other stakeholders in the Katherine-Daly Basin.
The lack of soil conservation advice for primary producers is a national problem since successive governments all over Australia have gradually disbanded the traditional soil conservation service over the past 20 years. This is a major impediment to the sustainable development of farming and grazing land in the Top End. NTAgA recognised the need to deliver training and information on soil conservation and basic survey techniques. This training is especially important for new people who come to farm in the NT and have little experience in a tropical environment.
Workshops were presented at Douglas Daly (31 August 2010) and at Katherine (7 September 2010). The objectives were to build capacity in soil conservation and to provide basic training which would enable people to manage erosion and implement basic soil conservation works on their own land.
The workshops were intended to put soil conservation back on the agenda and to promote soil conservation as an essential management practice that drives other management decisions rather than a secondary consideration when erosion and land degradation has already occurred.
Notes presented on the day, along with additional Tech Notes from the Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport, are included in this report.
Read the full report here...
(Source: a joint soil conservation project between the Northern Territory Agricultural Association and the Natural Resource Management Board of the NT)
Striking the Balance (June 2010)
 Practices and principles of
sustainable farming and grazing systems
in the Semi-arid Tropics of the NT
Striking the Balance, 2nd Edition, outlines the unique physical
environment of the Top End and explains
why
sustainable farming and grazing
practices are imperative
in the light
of climate change
and its potential
consequences for northern Australia.
It covers grazing practice, soil
conservation, irrigation and water
use in detail and the importance of
soil protection, vegetative cover and
conservation farming from a regional and global perspective. While the world’s
population and food requirements are
growing, the earth’s soil and water
resources are being degraded at an
unprecedented level especially in tropical
environments. Protecting the soil through
good farming and livestock management is a rare win/win situation for the
producer, the wider community
and the environment.
Download the book below, chapter by chapter.
 For your hardcopy,
download the
Order Form here, and order today!
(Source:
 Increasing the Productivity of Improved Pastures by the Sustainable Management of Native Vegetation Regrowth (January 2010)
The aim of this project is to provide management options for controlling native vegetation regrowth in improved pastures. The control options for native vegetation regrowth in improved pastures are fairly limited.
If the improved pasture contains any legume it cuts out the use of broad acre application of broad leaf herbicides. However if the improved pasture is comprised solely of grasses the number of control options is increased.
The use of most mechanical controls is also limited as blade ploughing or the use of a one way plough may necessitate the re-planting of the pasture. The need to re-plant would increase the cost of the native vegetation control quite significantly.
Within the two districts there are also large areas of cleared land under native pasture that are experiencing problems with native vegetation regrowth. Control options for native vegetation regrowth in native pastures will be considered even though they may not be relevant for improved pastures.
There are three questions that need to be answered in relation to the problem of native vegetation regrowth. These are:
 What is the extent of the problem? - How does native vegetation regrowth impact on farming operations?
- Why does native vegetation regrowth become a problem?
The next two areas to be discussed are:
- The invasion of grasslands by woody plants and the thickening of woodlands and forests.
- Options for controlling or managing native vegetation regrowth.
Download the recent Literature Review for this Project.
Download the Soil Condition Monitoring Report.
Weed Management Handbook (October 2009)
 Weeds severely impact the Northern Territory’s (NT) environmental, economic, social and cultural values.
Environmental values such as biodiversity and ecological function are impacted, through the invasion and replacement of native plant communities and wildlife habitat. Weed infestations can also harbour feral animals, and hinder their control.
Weed infestations can reduce the availability of traditional foods and other resources used by Indigenous people by displacing native plants and animals. Weeds can influence the social well being of Indigenous landowners by disrupting their spiritual and physical connections to country.
Weed populations can also result in restricted access to and recreational use of natural landscapes. Hunting, fishing, camping and bushwalking can all be affected by weeds. Weed monocultures, such as those created by mimosa, significantly diminish the aesthetic values of the natural landscape.
Weeds in the NT cost land managers millions of dollars per year, through costs of control and lost production. The following information has been taken from the Pastoral Industry Survey NT 2004. It shows the spending, per station, in each of the major cattle producing regions of the NT.
Read the full report here...
(Source:
 Evaluation of Wynn Cassia (WC) as a Pasture and Hay Crop
As a result of concerns over WC the community submitted a proposal to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) for a Producer Initiated Research and Development (PIRD) project.
The objective was to learn more about WC, itsmanagement and determine its value as pasture and fodder crop under
commercial conditions. The project ran from August 2001 to November 2003.
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