North Stirlings Pallinup Natural Resources (NSPNR) is seeking a versatile and organised Finance & Administration Officer to join our team on a 12-month fixed-term maternity leave contract, working up to 1 day (8 hours) per week, with flexibility based on skills and experience.
Please view the position description for more information.
DPIRD Research Station in Katanning opened their doors last month for the “FEED365 and FutureSheep Field Day”. Sam and Caroline attended the day to get the low down for our members! Below is a brief look at 3 of the presentations from the day. For a full list of the presentations head to the event page and get in contact with us if you’d like to know more. EVENT PAGE: Sheep Field Day 2025
A very hot topic was research into methane production, which was not surprising given the industry’s net zero emissions target! One DPIRD & MLA project looking at “potential to select more feed efficient sheep which produce less methane” with an aim to have ASBVs around feed intake & methane production.
Another DPIRD project, ‘SmartEwe’ is researching breeding more resilient, feed efficient merino ewes that can maintain weight & fertility in the face of variable feed due to changing seasonal conditions. The project aims to lower supplementary feeding costs for producers and improve survival and lambing in the varying climate. These ‘efficient ewes’ will produce less methane per unit and aid more sustainable & profitable merino systems.
Georgia Welsh from Murdoch Uni talked about their joint project with CSIRO, UWA and NSW DPI, looking at if there is a positive impact on lamb survival when lambing into ‘edible shelters’ such as shrubs and dual-purpose crops in comparison to traditional pasture paddocks. Murdoch are looking for on-farm research sites in WA to continue to compare survival rates in pasture & ‘edible shelters’. See below for more info and links to WOI if you are interested in being involved.
Shelter and lamb survival 2025
Do you, or have you ever thought about lambing into crops or shrubs?
Murdoch, CSIRO, UWA and NSW DPI are investigating the impact of shade and shelter on sheep reproduction and welfare. As part of this program of work, we are comparing twin lamb survival in traditional pasture lambing paddocks vs. crop and/or shrub lambing paddocks across 28 farms in WA, NSW, SA and VIC. We are currently seeking producers who would be keen to participate in the project in 2025. To express interest, please fill out this form with your contact details.
More information: Edible Shelter Project EOI Protocol Website
EOI Form Shelter and lamb survival 2025
What causes frost?
It’s been wondered what causes frosts, was it heavy rain or light rain. Recent findings established the frost occurs from a bacteria, that is within the clouds, is transported via light rain (often late afternoon/evening rain). It then dampens the crop and as the bacteria is more abundant in smaller water bodies, the bacteria works to freeze the water and the moister & nutrience within the crop.
Identifying appearances of crops – all growth stages - We physically looked at tissue samples.
Garren wants to encourage growers as well as agronomists to know the stages of growth in their cereals. This includes identifying the different parts of your crop head (Anther and Seed etc), where the Anther sits at the different stages as well as how the head comes into full development. This understanding aiding growers to identify frost damage as well as other factors that could affect their yield and economic growth. We took a look at frost affected Barley samples, identifying the concaved/slightly indented seeds which has affected the growth of seeds within a head, therefore affecting the overall yield within a field.
Identifying the indicators of possible high frost zones on a farm
Recognising the factors that can indicate a more likely frost affected zone within a paddock. These being paddocks with sandy white soils as well as areas of lower altitude (Valleys, Creek Lines etc)
Things to do in a frost prone zone.
Try and avoid planting wheat – Wheat is the least frost tolerance of the cereals. Frost events can impact your wheat crop more easily in comparison to barley, canola and others. Barley, Oats (work well due to their flower placement being hidden higher within the head, due to the curved like appearance of an oat head), as well as Lupins (great to run sheep across which will in turn fatten your sheep up to increase their individual cost)
Try a longer ‘termed’ seed variety. Avoid having a short growth as its more inclined to be affected by frost at the growth stage then. Aim for a variety that will still be developing their head and seeds post September. This will minimise the chance of frost damaging the head after it has been developed.
Timing – your seeding time is important to factor in to delay the chance of earlier development. For instance, if you were planting Barley, aim to seed your more frost prevalent zones last, therefore allowing the crop a longer growth period through September, minimising the chance of frost damage on a developed head.
Grazing – Another method that can elongate the growing length of your crops. By bring sheep onto the crop when it sits around 20cm for about 2 weeks. The sheep will graze the low-lying plants back to the bottom, and once the stock is removed from the paddock, the crop will be given another beginning to grow from. This will delay your harvest date, again allowing your heads to develop post peak frost timing.
Strategies to minimise the impact of frost on your cropping income
Firstly identifying the areas on your farm that may be more inclined to frost, then acknowledging that they might need a different, more cautious cropping plan in comparison to the remainder of that paddock or the rest of the farm. Utilising a traffic light method, red light being those zones prone to frost events. In these areas you want to act cautiously, no risk taking and keep it by the book. Plant varieties that best suit frost prone areas. In your zones that have a medium risk of frost, these are yellow. Within these zones variations can be made, stuff you know will work but you might change a nutrience or weeding variable. You higher altitude spots, or your less frost prone zones are green. Here you can trial methods, try new crops and have shorter ‘termed’ seed varieties.
Another successful year of the NSPNR-Yongergnow Feral Animal Tally! We had 7 legendary teams across the North Stirlings Pallinup region who together took out 109 foxes, 12 cats & 19 rabbits! Yongergnow Café put on an incredible feed for the Ongerup Tally go-ers and the Ongerup Community members. Attendees heard from project officer Laura Page about the project and why pest control is so important for protecting some of our incredible native species such as the Malleefowl! Licensed Pest Management Technician (LPMT) Greg Elliott spoke to the crowd about some of the work he has been doing implementing pest control on farms including fox/cat baiting and various rabbit control methods. In Gnowangerup at the CRC, Tara McDonald catered a wonderful breakfast for the teams and community members.
Huge thankyou to The Shire of Gnowangerup for their assistance at the tips with the Tally and our generous sponsors – Ongerup Farm Supplies, Summit Fertilizers, Farmers Centre Albany, Gnowangerup Hardware, Stirling Steelworks & WAMMCO.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNING TEAMS:
Overall First Prize (points) $100 - North Stirlings Downs
Overall Second Prize (points) $700 - Corackerup Killers
Overall Third Prize (points) $500 - Safety Off
Heaviest Cat - ONGERUP $150 - Corackerup Killers
Heaviest Cat - GNOWANGERUP $150 - No Recoil
First Place - ONGERUP 5x $20 Yongergnow Café Vouchers - Corackerup Killers
First Place - GNOWANGERUP 5x $20 Little Grove Café Vouchers - North Stirlings Downs
This project is funded by the Australian Government under the Saving Native Species Program and South Coast Natural Resource Management as a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel, and is delivered by North Stirlings Pallinup Natural Resources (NSPNR)
NSPNR has been successful in obtaining full funding of $445,519 for our recent Community Stewardship Grant - large application ‘Classroom to Paddock: Enriching NSP Culture and Biodiversity’
The Classroom to Paddock Project promotes cultural connections and environmental stewardship among the three local schools and landholders in the North Stirlings Pallinup sub-region of WA. The project maintains momentum of current State NRM projects, a gap in funding would be detrimental to progress:
1) Capitalising on landholder’s increased willingness to participate in collaborative revegetation and protective fencing projects: - Addressing ecological damage from land clearing - Improving soils, waterways, threatened species habitat & corridors with high quality native revegetation
2) Fostering Gnowangerup Aboriginal Corporation partnership: - Sharing cultural knowledge - Seed collection services
3) Immersive school programs encouraging environmental and cultural awareness.
This project will run January 2025 - December 2027
NSPNR thanks State NRM for supporting this project
The project, NSPNR Looking Back to Plan the Future, aims to improve strategic planning and evidence-based decision-making by North Stirlings Pallinup Natural Resources Inc by reviewing the organisation’s past projects to enhance the accessibility and usability of natural resource data. After digitization and consolidation of paper records and dispersed mapping files, a 20-year analysis of past projects will then be undertaken to inform strategic planning. This initiative will increase conservation impact by enabling better monitoring and management of natural resources, leading to more effective conservation strategies and outcomes. The project's success will be measured by enhanced accessibility to project data and a prioritized list of future activities.
The project will run January 2025 - February 2026.
NSPNR thanks State NRM for their support of the project.
NSPNR welcomes Ciara Nalty to the role of Chair.
Ciara can be contacted on mob. 0450 102 344 or cmnalty@gmail.com
Ciara Nalty (right) pictured with her partner Brandon Wise at the NSPNR 2024 Annual General Meeting
North Stirlings Pallinup Natural Resources Inc (NSPNR) is wrapping up the Expanded predator control program in the Fitz-Stirling Corridor project. This project aimed to protect and enhance populations of three important species – Chuditch, Malleefowl and Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo –across the Fitz-Stirling macro corridor and surrounding farmland
NSPNR was pleased to take part in the celebrations marking the Gnowangerup Town Hall’s centenary at the Heritage Hall Fair on Sunday, 14th April. We were delighted to be involved and to showcase NSPNR’s mission of ‘promoting healthy and productive landscapes that support prosperous communities and businesses across our catchment area’ and we commend the organisers on a great community event.
At our stall, our project officer Laura Page displayed NSPNR’s cat trap, Eco Kids Party Pack, a pottiputki, a kidney basket, and various publications, including the NSPNR native planting guide and a flyer about our Expanded predator control program in the Fitz-Stirling Corridor project . We also exhibited a variety of native plants from the Gnowangerup Aboriginal Corporation’s nursery, such as pincushion hakeas, brown’s banksia, sweet hakea, and old man saltbush.
We received queries on topics including quondong trees, invasive species, protective vegetation fencing, tree planting, re-vegetation, and fox baiting, among other interesting subjects from members and local residents. We were pleased to welcome new members, particularly from the western area of our catchment, who joined both our organisation and our new WhatsApp group.
A big thank you to Laura for representing NSPNR, and for comittee members Bec and Peter for adding support.
This website has been updated with the support by funding from the WA Government’s State NRM Program, supported by Royalties for Regions.
