Our Environment
Living and working on a farm means that we are closely tied to our environment in everything that we do. Like all farmers, we don’t just see the droughts, the rain, the fires and floods, we live them. For us, ensuring that our land and our environment is protected is vital to the future.
Tickalara is 120 hectares of grazing country and eucalypt woodland. The majority of the property is on fertile clay soils that hold water well and allow for great pasture growth. Currently, we are in the process of fencing off about 30 hectares that will focus on native plant regeneration and aim to improve biodiversity in the area. We have set ourselves four goals that will help to improve biodiversity, sustainability, and the environmental management of Tickalara.
Our Goals
Goal 1 - Grazing
Subdivide 2 paddocks into 5 to help rotation grazing & improve carrying capacity.
Goal 2 - Revegetation
Plant a minimum of 50 trees per year - a mix of paddock trees & understory species.
Goal 3 - Wildlife
Convert 30 hectares of fenced-off areas into a biodiverse wildlife sanctuary by 2025.
Goal 4 - Carbon Project
Establish a carbon project by 2023 with aims to improve soil organic carbon.
Biodiversity
We want our farm to be as biodiverse as possible. Already we have a huge variety of bird species and native animals that call Tickalara home. We have 30 hectares of land fenced off that we are aiming to plant with more diverse native species and remove livestock from the area to allow as much restoration and growth to take place as possible, encouraging more native species in the area.
Grazing & Pasture Management
We have always kept a close eye on our pastures while grazing cattle to ensure that they are not being overgrazed or under-managed. We aim to subdivide two of our larger back paddocks to help ensure that we can increase the amount of rest to the pastures in each area, and can implement better rotation grazing around the farm.
Carbon Project & Offsetting
Many of the practices that we are undertaking are in line with the outcomes of a carbon project - to improve the soil organic carbon on the property. We are looking at implementing a carbon project as a way to help offset the costs involved with increasing our rotation grazing, improving our biodiversity, and the general management of the farm.
Natural Habitat & Wildlife Refuge
Out the back of Tickalara is 20 hectares of relatively undisturbed bush country. This, along with a further 10 hectares of creek lines throughout the property have been fenced off from livestock. These areas are registered as a wildlife refuge with the Wildlife Land Trust and we are working on introducing more diverse native tree species to enable native birds and wildlife a safe space.
Erosion Management
Over 10 hectares of creek lines throughout our property have been completely fenced off from livestock. This ensures that erosion areas are not degraded or worn away faster due to heavy traffic from our cattle. Ensuring there is good ground cover in these areas is a good start, and we are looking to continue improve existing erosion by planting trees with strong root systems.
