Tools and Resources

Your hub for the best support, advice and guidance to improve on-farm natural assets, while supporting sustainable and profitable agriculture.

Troubleshooting:

If you’re experiencing problems with our resources or can’t find what you’re looking for, please contact us.

Ordering:

If you’d like to order resources in hard-copy, please check what’s available on our order page.

View

BirdCast: Predict which birds live in woodlands on your farm

Tools

BirdCast: Indicating birdlife on farms

BirdCast is a scenario planning tool for biodiversity on farms. Using decades of data on more than sixty birds, BirdCast indicates which birds may live in woodlands on your farm in spring and demonstrates the potential for biodiversity in a range of scenarios.

Dec 2021

  Watch Video

Management & technical guides

Management guide

Managing natural assets: Enhancing farm dams

Enhancing farm dams can have many benefits for water quality, water security and farm productivity, while also supporting biodiversity.

Technical guide

Farm Dams Technical Guide

This guide provides detailed technical information to support the planning and construction of farm dams, as well as dam enhancement, in order to optimise their performance.

Mar 2023

Read more

Management guide

Managing natural assets: Shelterbelts

Planting native shelterbelts on farms is a significant act of land stewardship, one that also delivers demonstrated productivity and biodiversity benefits.

Management guide

Managing natural assets: Scattered paddock trees

Stately old trees standing alone in paddocks are a familiar feature of our rural landscapes. Aesthetically pleasing, they are also important assets supporting agricultural productivity, and are critical for wildlife.

Management guide

Managing natural assets: Rocky outcrops

Rocky outcrops come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from huge granite boulders strewn across hilltops, to small collections of scattered rocks in a paddock.

Management guide

Fire in farm landscapes: Keep your fallen timber and dead trees

Keeping fallen timber and dead trees in the landscape is one of the best things you can do for biodiversity and landscape health on your farm. 

Management guide

Riparian Restoration guide

Watercourses and their accompanying riparian areas hold enormous value for farming operations and are important assets for production and biodiversity.

Planting guides

Planting guide

Powerful Pollinators: Encouraging insect pollinators in farm landscapes

Planting guide for North East Victoria, the NSW Murray-Riverina, South West Slopes and parts of Central Tablelands and Central West.

Planting guide

What to plant in and around your dam

Native vegetation in and around a farm dam has many benefits for water quality, farm productivity and biodiversity. This brochure provides guidance on the types of plants suitable for revegetating dams, and includes lists of recommended plants.

Planting guide

Wholesale nursery list

List of wholesale plant suppliers for use with the guide, Enhancing farm dams: What to plant in and around your dam.

Tools

BirdCast: Indicating birdlife on farms

BirdCast is a scenario planning tool for biodiversity on farms. Using decades of data on more than sixty birds, BirdCast indicates which birds may live in woodlands on your farm in spring and demonstrates the potential for biodiversity in a range of scenarios.

Dec 2021

  Watch Video

Tools

Sustainable Farms Field Day Toolkit

The Sustainable Farms Field Day Toolkit describes how our field days are planned and promoted, with checklists to support the organisation of events.

Reports

Method to measure practice change. A report by Sustainable Farms for the Central Tablelands LLS

A report commissioned by Central Tablelands LLS outlining a methodology for measuring practice change.

Videos

Videos

Restoring rocky habitat on farms

On a farm near Young, NSW, PHD student Jackie O’Sullivan from The Australian National University has been investigating the impact of scattered rocks on reptile diversity. For landholder Sam Johnson from Boxgum Grazing, looking after natural assets on his farm is all part of managing an ecologically functioning farm system.

Sep 2022

  Watch Video

Videos

Sustainable Farms: bringing together science, Landcare and farmers

Sustainable Farms brings science to the paddock, working closely with Landcare and with farmers to understand how improving natural assets can support farm productivity, biodiversity and mental health.

Mar 2022

  Watch Video

Videos

Mental health and wellbeing research

Kimberly Brown, Research Officer at the Centre for Mental Health Research and Sustainable Farms, explains the aims of our mental health research stream.

Sep 2022

  Watch Video

Videos

Improving farm dams: a farmer’s perspective

Marcus Richardson runs a beef property near Albury in NSW. During the drought, he spotted an opportunity to protect some of the farm’s most vital assets – the dams. In this video, he explains why and how he decided to protect and enhance his farm dams for multiple benefits.

Apr 2020

  Watch Video

Videos

After fire comes recovery: Life in a farm dam

An inspiring story from a farm near Batlow NSW.

Jun 2020

  Watch Video

Videos

How to build a wildlife island on your farm dam

Ever thought about building a wildlife island on your farm dam? Artificial islands are great for habitat and refuge.

Jun 2020

  Watch Video

Videos

ANU long-term ecology video

ANU Sustainable Farms is based on 20 years of long-term ecological monitoring.

Jan 2017

  Watch Video

Books

Books

Natural Asset Farming

This book provides practical guidance on enhancing seven natural assets on farms, bringing together the stories and experiences of farmers with the results of extensive on-farm research undertaken by Sustainable Farms.

Mar 2022

Read more

Books

Learning From Experience book

In this book, eight farmers connected with Sustainable Farms share their stories of land management in the woodlands of southeastern Australia. The stories are based on interviews conducted by Natasha Fijn.

Sep 2020

Read more

Books

Rocky Outcrops in Australia

Discover the incredible biodiversity on rocky outcrops and the importance of conserving these crucial landscape features.

Feb 2018

Read more

Books

Woodlands: A disappearing landscape

Australia’s little known woodlands once covered huge areas of the eastern side of our continent. Discover the often-overlooked beauty of Australia’s woodlands and native plants and animals they support.

Sep 2005

Read more

Reports and project documents

Tools

Sustainable Farms project area map

A simplified map of the Sustainable Farms project area.

Reports

2020 Annual Report

An account of Sustainable Farms 2020 performance against key performance indicators

Reports

Method to measure practice change. A report by Sustainable Farms for the Central Tablelands LLS

A report commissioned by Central Tablelands LLS outlining a methodology for measuring practice change.

Reports

2019 Annual Report

An account of Sustainable Farms 2019 performance against key performance indicators

Reports

2018 Annual Report

An account of Sustainable Farms 2018 performance against key performance indicators

Reports

Report for Meat and Livestock Australia

Report by Sustainable Farms produced for Meat and Livestock Australia

Reports

Sustainable Farms Baseline Evaluation Report: a snapshot of farmers within the project area

This report provides a baseline snapshot of farmers within the Sustainable Farms project area to enable measurement of progress and ultimately the long-term impact of the initiative.

Reports

Mental Health Research Report

This report provides a summary of Sustainable Farms’ Mental Health Research program and findings.

Webinars

Webinars

Webinar: Planning & planting to maximise the potential of farm dams

Webinar recording: Hear about the latest research on the biodiversity and productivity benefits of enhancing farm dams, what to plant where and other practical tips for planning a farm dam enhancement project.

Oct 2021

  Watch Video

Webinars

Webinar: Choughs, miners, and boosting bird biodiversity on farms

Join us for an online discussion about two fascinating species of birds – noisy miners and choughs. Plus, how to create the habitat that will bring back the birds we want on farms.

Aug 2021

  Watch Video

Webinars

Webinar: Powerful Pollinators

Hosted by ANU Sustainable Farms and the Wheen Bee Foundation, join ANU Professor Saul Cunningham, Sustainable Farms’ ecologist Angelina Siegrist, and Anna Carrucan from Wheen Bee Foundation discussing native and European pollinators and their effect on grazing and cropping.

Sep 2020

  Watch Video

Webinars

Webinar: Investing in healthy farms for the future – a policy proposal

In an era of climatic uncertainty and increasing droughts, farm improvement projects that restore degraded land, enhance natural assets and improve drought resilience are becoming ever more important. However, sustainable funding of these projects presents a challenge that requires novel solutions.

Webinars

Webinar: Brilliant Birds

Join ANU Sustainable Farms ecologist Dave Smith and Birdlife Australia’s Ben Humphries for a webinar all about birds on farms!

Sep 2020

  Watch Video

Webinars

Webinar: Designing and enhancing shelterbelts

This webinar covers Sustainable Farms research into the best way to design shelterbelts for maximum productivity benefits, and benefits for woodland bird biodiversity.

Jun 2020

  Watch Video

Webinars

Webinar: Enhancing farm dams

Join Sustainable Farms ecologists Dr Mason Crane and Eleanor Lang, and Local Land Services District Vet Eve Hall, to discuss enhancing farm dams for multiple benefits.

Jun 2020

  Watch Video

Webinars

Webinar: Woodlands on farms – Endangered Ecological Communities

A webinar on the management of Endangered Ecological Communities (EECs) in Central West NSW, presented by Daniel Florance from Sustainable Farms.

Jun 2020

  Watch Video

Webinars

Webinar: Biodiversity recovery after bushfire

Join Professor David Lindenmayer from the Australian National University and Sustainable Farms ecologist Dr Mason Crane for a webinar to learn about biodiversity recovery after bushfire.

May 2020

  Watch Video

Podcasts

Episode Nine: Farm planning for better biodiversity and reduced fire risk

In our second podcast on fire in farm landscapes, Sustainable Farms Ecology Research Director Professor David Lindenmayer explains that managing farms for biodiversity doesn’t necessarily mean increasing fire risk.

Jan 2020

Read more

Podcasts

Episode Eight: After fire comes recovery – a message of hope

Summer 2019-2020 brought unprecedented bushfire conditions to south-eastern Australia, with millions of hectares burnt so far this fire season.

Jan 2020

Read more

Podcasts

Episode Seven: Max Whitten talks about honeybees

In this podcast from Sustainable Farms, Gordon Taylor talks to Dr Max Whitten (former Chief at the CSIRO Division of Entomology) about the role of honeybees in Australian agriculture.

Nov 2019

Read more

Podcasts

Episode Six: Max Whitten talks about Dieback

In this podcast from Sustainable Farms, Dr Max Whitten, former Chief at the CSIRO Division of Entomology, talks to podcast host Gordon Taylor about dieback in paddock trees.

Aug 2019

Read more

Podcasts

Episode Five: Mason Crane talks about Squirrel Gliders

Join Sustainable Farms Senior Research and Extension Officer Mason Crane as he talks about Squirrel Gliders, the subject of his PhD.

Apr 2019

Read more

Podcasts

Episode Four: Mason Crane talks about farm revegetation

Welcome back to the Sustainable Farms podcast. In this episode, field ecologist Mason Crane speaks to Gordon Taylor about farm revegetation projects.

Mar 2019

Read more

Podcasts

Episode Three: An innovative proposal for farm financing

Many farmers are concerned that government financing schemes particularly in times of drought can lead them into unrepayable debt, and risk of property foreclosure down the track.

Oct 2018

Read more

Podcasts

Episode Two: Talking about Farm Dams

How does investing in the natural assets of a farm, like shelterbelts and farm dams, enable farmers to be more resilient in drought, while at the same time help to support the biodiversity on farms? 

Oct 2018

Read more

Podcasts

Episode One: An introduction to the Sustainable Farms project

Director of Sustainable Farms, Michelle Young, talks about why the project has been established and its key goals and activities.

Sep 2018

Read more