Enhance farm dams
Dams are essential for many farming operations, including for livestock and irrigation. Enhancing a farm dam can lead to improvements in water quality and provide habitat for a wide variety of native wildlife.
Read moreSupport biodiversity, improve farm productivity and connect with community. Join us to explore the potential of on-ground action to improve natural assets on farms.
Find out moreOn the Farm:
Projects to improve natural assets on the farm
Healthy natural assets underpin farm productivity and landscape resilience. Our research, undertaken in partnership with farmers, Landcarers and NRM agencies, explores the benefits of looking after natural assets.
Establish shelterbelts
Shelterbelts provide shade and wind protection for livestock, mitigate erosion and slow wind speeds. They also support many species of animals, helping conserve wildlife and contributing to natural pest control on a farm.
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Enhance rocky outcrops
Healthy rocky outcrops can boost farm biodiversity, productivity and soil health. Managing rocky outcrops generally requires little ongoing effort or cost.
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Protect and restore paddock trees
Scattered paddock trees are vital for agricultural productivity and for the conservation of wildlife. Many of these trees are being lost due to old age, stress and fire, but there are ways to protect and restore paddock trees.
Read moreAbout us
What we do
Sustainable Farms brings science to the paddock, working closely with Landcare and with farmers to understand how improving natural assets on farms can support biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.
Farmer Stories:
Meet some of our inspiring farmers
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John and Nicole Hopkins, Allawah
John and Nicole Hopkins run a Simmental Stud on ‘Allawah’, a 1,040 ha grazing and dryland cropping property near Illabo, east of Junee, which also produces lambs, wool and dryland cereal and oilseed crops. John and Nicole Hopkins are a typical farming family of the region. They both work full time on the farm and employ casual staff.
John is on the State and National Council for the Simmental breed. He champions the concepts implemented on Allawah through these forums, and particularly when people come to see their livestock, as well as through their involvement with Landcare and their connections to neighbouring farms.
The Hopkins have battled devastating fires on two separate occasions. After the second fire, instead of re-fencing in the same places as his father had done, they changed where the fences were located. They have since planted extensive areas of native trees and shrubs on Allawah, fencing off corridors and allowing waterways to regenerate John and Nicole are active Landcare members and have hosted a number of field days with Landcare in the past, including workshops for training LLS staff, and trialling rabbit control methods. John also has participated in some short film clips on sustainability with the ANU and Landcare, and is actively involved in supporting policy proposals developed through Sustainable Farms.
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Paul and Rachel Graham, Bongongo
Bongongo provides excellent example of riparian and wetland area restoration for species specific management (Booroolong Frog and Macquarie Perch).
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Sam and Claire Johnson, Windermere
The Johnsons have implemented shelterbelts, riparian restoration, management and enhancement of native and mixed native pastures, and management of wooded pastures.
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Tony and Vicky Geddes, Yallock
Yallock provides examples of restoring and managing existing woodlands, farm dam enhancement and shelterbelts and presents a good example of woodland management conservation in an agricultural landscape.
Read moreOur 2024 calendar is here!
The theme of our 2024 Sustainable Farms calendar is ‘Life at a Farm Dam’.
The calendar features stunning images of the remarkable biodiversity that can be found at farm farms. It also highlights the important role that these critters play in these special ecosystems and the benefits for sustainable agricultural production.
New resource available: 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. Available online or to order.
Access the guide
New resource available: Shelterbelts management guide
Shelterbelts are generally linear strips of vegetation, intended to provide shelter, shade and wind breaks. Well-managed and diverse native shelterbelts can have productivity benefits for cropping and grazing enterprises while supporting hundreds of species of birds, mammals, invertebrates, frogs and reptiles.
Our new 12-page management guide details the science behind shelterbelts and outlines how to create effective shelterbelts on farms.
The guide is available to download in PDF form, or hardcopies are available to order for the cost of postage.
Find out more and get your copy here
Try the BirdCast tool on your farm
Have you tried our digital tool, BirdCast?
Enter some details about your farm’s locations and woodland areas on your farm, and BirdCast will let you know what birds you’re likely to see in your patch.
Modify the variables – for example, add a shelterbelt planting – and find out how that will change birdlife on your farm.
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Farmers have great stories.
Like to share yours?
Have you managed natural assets on your farm and seen results? Perhaps you’ve planted trees or fenced a creekline. What did you notice?
Share your storyWhere we work
Sustainable Farms works in the NSW South West Slopes, Central West, Murray-Riverina and north east Victoria. Our project area overlaps extensively with the Murray, Riverina, Central Tablelands, Central West and South East Local Land Services in NSW, and with Goulburn Broken and North East Catchment Management Authorities in Victoria.
Latest News
POLICY BRIEF: Supporting Farmer Mental Health and Environmental Sustainability in Agriculture
Research from the Sustainable Farms initiative highlights both the importance and complexity of farmers engaging in natural resource management (NRM) practices on their mental health.
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POLICY BRIEF: Public and Private Benefits of Improving Natural Assets in Farming Landscapes
Improving natural assets on farms delivers valuable public benefits, such as biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and enhanced ecosystem health. However, the private benefits of improving natural assets on farms, such as improved productivity and ecosystem services, are unevenly distributed.
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PhD Opportunity: Cultural burning
The ANU Fenner School of Environment & Society are seeking a PhD student to work on a new cross-cultural project focused on supporting the re-emergence of cultural burning in south-eastern Australia.
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