Hello First name / friend, 

 

November is here, and as always, there's a lot happening at this busy time of year.

 

Over the past 12 months, I’ve been representing East Coast Primary Producers in the advisory groups for Southern Tasmania’s Regional Drought Plan. This plan has incorporated feedback from over 600 community members across Southern Tasmania, including some of our own members, and focuses on building resilience at the community level for drought conditions and other challenges. 

 

Key themes from the plan – supporting community, caring for our natural landscapes, and producing high-quality products – align closely with the East Coast Primary Producers’ Vision: “for profitable, sustainable, and resilient primary producers now and for future generations.” Connection remains a strong focus for ECPP, reflected in our Mission “to create opportunities for members to connect, share, and grow to unlock human and business potential.” If you’re interested in viewing our Strategic Plan, it’s available here.

 

This newsletter is packed with opportunities to learn and connect. Notably, our next workshop, combined with our Christmas dinner, is scheduled for December 12th. The event will feature a tour of Sea Forest and a “Self Leadership and Leading Others” workshop with Sally Murfet. More details will follow soon, but please save the date—we’d love to see you there!

 

We’re also seeking your feedback on a potential workshop for Stock Water Planning and Budgeting, run by Pinion Advisory. This workshop, supported by the TAS Farm Innovation Hub, has been held in Scottsdale and on Flinders Island. You’ll receive a survey by email next week, but if you’d like to jump in now, you can complete it here.

 

I look forward to seeing you on December 12th! As always, feel free to reach out if you have something to share with East Coast Primary Producers or if you have ideas for future workshops.

 

Warm regards,
Tahnee

Our friends at NRM South have put together a video about the Farming Forecaster tool, with a focus on the Tasmanian industry. You'll probably see a few familiar faces in the video – including ECPPA members.

If you're not familiar with it, Farming Forecaster gives you access to soil moisture, local weather, pasture production and livestock performance information to help you plan ahead. It will also continue to be funded until June 2026 – great news for anyone already using it and for those who have yet to tap into this resource.

 

The Farming Forecaster website has more details, including resources and videos on how to use it.

On Tuesday 19 November, NRM South is running a workshop for the viticulture community focusing on two key soil challenges: compacted soils and low carbon levels. The session is designed for vineyard managers, growers and viticulture enthusiasts, with practical insights into improving soil health for healthier vines and better yields.

 

Guest speakers Richard Doyle, an expert soil scientist, and Luke Taylor, an experienced viticulture consultant, will share techniques for reducing soil compaction, increasing organic carbon, and optimising soil structure for vineyard success.

 

The workshop starts at 9am at Strelley Farm Estate for a discussion and morning tea, before moving on to Pressing Matters for further discussion, a presentation and lunch, wrapping up around 1pm. It's free to attend but registration is essential.

 

Join Resilient Farming Tas, the TAS Farm Innovation Hub and invited experts for a workshop linking climatic projections, farm management challenges and opportunities and the things you can do to prepare for them.

 

Experts include:

Morning/afternoon tea and lunch is provided and you can go to either the Scottsdale event on 7 November (this week) or the Bothwell event on 14 November.

The TAS Farm Innovation Hub is offering funding of up to $5,000 to community groups and organisations to contribute to the costs of running or attending events, training, or other activities that help farmers and farming communities become more prepared for drought and climate variability. 

 

This includes conferences or other events with a focus on tools or practices to build drought resilience, contribution to costs to attend training courses or conferences, or other similar activities.

 

Applications will need to demonstrate how the event or activity will contribute to one or more of the TAS Farm Innovation Hub’s regional drought resilience priorities, which are available on the application page. Applications can be submitted at any time and will be assessed in two rounds, with Round 1 due 20 November 2024 and Round 2 due 20 February 2025.

 

You can visit the website for more details and applications, or get in touch with the hub at: fdf.tas.hub@utas.edu.au

You may have seen on our social media channels that Resilient Farming has been hosting a series of FREE lunchtime webinars on different topics. The final two are coming up this week and next, so now's a great time to register if they're of interest to you:

 

Learn more about what a biodiversity market is, where offsets fit in, and what other opportunities could be available for you. Understand more about market drivers, regulatory/compliance matters, and what the future holds if you voluntarily mitigate biodiversity loss.

 

Between them, Allison and Belinda have over 40 years’ experience in helping farmers to identify risks and find the best ways to avoid and mitigate risks before they arise. This includes natural disaster, financial, workplace safety, pandemic, and food safety recall. Learn the difference between risk management and managing crisis/disaster events.