Land in balance

PEARCEDALE farmers John and Sue Allnutt have found the balance between farming and the environment and are urging others to do the same.
The couple have owned their property in Pearcedale for almost 18 years and breed Angus cattle on 54 hectares with Western Port frontage.
Mr Allnutt’s father owns the adjoining property and they decided to band together to apply for funding through the Habitat Protection and Conservation (HPAC) Project – which they received.
The funding has enabled them to undertake large scale revegetation and fencing works, creating vital habitat links from the Western Port shoreline through their properties to the adjacent Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne.
Their property includes tracts of coastal saltmarsh, heathy woodland and swamp scrub which are vital to indigenous wildlife, particularly waterbirds and the southern brown bandicoot.
Mr Allnutt said their aim was to have productive land while taking their local environmental assets into account.
“There needs to be and can be a good balance between farming and the environment,” he said.
“In our later years, we’ve had a change of thinking regarding our relationship to the land and farming.
“We used to ring up every year, place our superphosphate order and they’d go over the whole property.
“Our motivation to change our farming practices initially was one of cost, rather than a consideration for the environment, because the price of super was going through the roof.
“We started reading articles about organic fertilisers and because of our location in Pearcedale, we have ready access to chook manure supplies, so now we use that instead.”
Mr Allnutt said they have also changed their approach to shelter and vegetation, which delivers a dual benefit to their stock and the local wildlife.
Mr Allnutt said the HPAC program has helped them achieve their long term goals quicker.
“We had project stages in mind and had aimed to complete one project a year but we’ve actually been given assistance to do the whole lot in one hit,” he said.
“It just fast-tracks it big time.
“To do all these projects may have been a 10 or 15 year timeline for us, but this funding means we’ll see results quickly.”
The HPAC Project is supported by the Port Philip and Westernport CMA and is funded by the Australian Government’s Caring for Our Country program.
The Port Phillip and Westernport CMA is offering a two-day course for those interested in learning about managing threats to agriculture, wildlife and other natural resources on their property.
The course is offered to landowners and residents of Casey, Cardinia, Baw Baw and Yarra Ranges Shires on Saturday 16 and Saturday 23 March at the Cardinia Cultural Centre, Lakeside Boulevard, Pakenham.
To register online for the course go to www.ppwcma.vic.gov.au and go to the ‘events’ section.
For more information about the HPAC Project or to register via hard copy for the course, contact Adam Shalekoff on 8781 7962.