Welcome to module 9 in our online learning packages
FARMING IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
Welcome to the farming in a changing climate module of the property management planning (PMP) course. In this module, you will learn about how to lessen the impacts of climate change on your property
- About climate change and how it impacts on farming
- What actions you can take on your property to lessen the impacts of climate change
- Native shelterbelts as protection against a warming climate
- Pasture management options in changing climate
- Crop production in a changing climate
- Managing erosion control
This module will take you about four hours to complete. You will have time to write down some ideas about how you might lessen the impacts of climate change on your property in your work book. Make sure you have your work book with you ready to take some notes.
Survey
At the end of the module, there is a survey that we would like you to complete. This will help us determine how useful this course has been as well as understand more about you and why property management planning is important you. The survey will only take 5 minutes to complete, and we would appreciate if you could take time to participate.
THINK ABOUT YOUR PROPERTY
- Do you know what impacts to expect for your property in a changing climate?
- Do you know if your property is vulnerable to climate variability such as increasing temperatures and variable rainfall?
- Do you know if your property is vulnerable to extreme events such as flooding, late frost and prolonged dry periods?
- Are you thinking about changing your practices?
- Is there further information you would like to source?
- Have you got some ideas on how you might lessen the impacts of climate variability on your property?
- Do you think you might need further advice on how to respond to climate change on your property?
How to move through this online course
As you are guided through this module, you will learn about farming in a changing climate through reading text and watching short videos. You will be asked to stop and open your electronic workbook (or hard copy if you print one) and start documenting your ideas and thoughts. Make sure you document ideas and potential management changes in your workbook. At the end of this course, we will be asking you to share with us some of your thoughts, particularly your action plan of priority actions for your property. At the end of this module there will be a prompt to share your priority actions and thoughts with us.
Why understanding climate change is important
A changing climate can impact on your farm in many ways, both in the short and long term. Being aware of the risks that climate change and climate variability bring to your property will be helpful for planning ways in which you can lessen the impacts. When you manage climate risks well, you will
- be able to protect your crops and animals
- have biosecurity benefits
- improve the overall productivity, economic sustainability and value of your property
Before we get started
let’s have a look at what climate change is
What is climate change?
The earth has experienced periods of climate change in the past, as part of natural processes. However, the recent large-scale shifts in our weather are now driven by human-induced (anthropogenic) emissions of greenhouse gases. This is causing rises in temperatures globally, which in turn is having broad and far-reaching impacts on the environment and people.
Watch a clip explaining what climate change is
Or watch this short explanation
How does climate change impact on us?
Climate change is impacting on our planet and way of life. It’s causing the largest redistribution of life on earth since the last glacial maximum. Plants and animals in the northern hemisphere are moving north and plants and animals in the southern hemisphere are moving south whilst they try to get away from higher temperatures. They are also moving to higher elevations on mountains and deeper in the oceans. These changes in distribution are affecting ecosystem structure and function, food security, human health, peoples’ livelihoods, feedbacks to the climate system, and human culture.
In Australia, some of the impacts of climate change include the mass bleaching of the great barrier reef, ocean acidification caused by absorption of additional carbon released into atmosphere, more heatwaves, bushfires and sea level changes.
Credit: Peter Buschmann
What are some of the biggest impacts of climate change globally? Watch this clip to find out
Watch this clip to discover why farmers are forcing climate change into the spotlight
See how farmers are responding to climate change to get you thinking
Farming in Australian is being impacted by climate change in many ways, from long droughts to floods and unseasonal extreme weather events. Some farmers are rethinking the way that they manage their properties through regenerative agriculture.
Regenerative agriculture involves a wide range of farming practices such as ecological grazing, agroforestry, using biological inputs in cropping and permaculture biodynamics. The aim is to improve landscape health and make it more resilient to the impacts of climate change by adopting new ways of farming that are less conventional.
Want to know more about regenerative agriculture?
Why is responding to climate change on your farm important?
The negative effects of climate change on farming is not only at the landscape scale, but also at the personal scale through impacts on your profitability and farming lifestyle. The impacts can be short, medium and long term, requiring good planning so as to respond to catastrophic events. For example, unusual seasonal variations such as an unexpected frost can devastate crops for a whole season in one event. Likewise, flood events can cause loss of topsoil, infrastructure and life, which can have devastating long term impacts not only to property but people and animals too.
Taking action by planning for such catastrophic events will help you to protect your crops and animals, have biosecurity benefits and improve the overall productivity, economic sustainability and value of your property.
Find out how farming can help reverse climate change
What are the local impacts of climate change in the Cradle Coast Region?
In Tasmania, climate change has brought about some of the warmest and driest, as well as extremely wet years. Evidence suggests that our climate will be even more variable in the future, and the chances and frequency of extreme events will increase including
- Late frosts
- Prolonged dry periods
- Flood events
- Changing rainfall patterns
- Increasing average minimum and maximum temperatures
All of these weather events will impact on the growth and yields of crops and pastures, and animal health and welfare.
Scientists predict a warmer Tasmania
Watch this clip to find out more
Foods produced in Tasmania will change because of climate change
Learn how in this clip
Take a look at the impacts of a major flood event in the Cradle Coast Region from 2016
Want to know more about the projected impacts of climate change on farming in Tasmania?
Here are some downloadable pdfs from the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
What does farming in a changing climate look like?
Climate change has been happening for a while now, and the impacts have been obvious over past decades. Farming in a changing climate requires new ways to manage climate variability and extreme weather events and being able to adapt to the impacts it brings. You may need to consider how you are going to manage the many risks that climate change will bring to your farm, such as:
- costs of production
- returns on investments
- labour costs
- land use change
- water availability for irrigation
An important first step is to consider your type of farming enterprise. Do you have dry pastures, irrigated pastures, irrigated crops, dairy production, or specific crop production such as wheat or grapes? How will extreme weather events and general seasonal climate change affect your enterprise? Do you need access to research and external professional support (extension services) to work out ways to minimise negative impacts of climate and harness positive ones?
The strategies for managing the impacts of climate change are broad
For example, in very wet conditions, consider
- Using raised beds
- Moving stock to dry land
- Fodder conservation (Grain/silage/hay/standing biomass) in wet years to feed out in the dry
Strategies for managing the impacts in drought
- Irrigation from a variety of sources for crops and pasture
- Planting fodder and dual-purpose crops, fodder conservation
- Destocking
- Changing livestock mix (cattle to sheep, wool to meat sheep/stud stock)
- Drought tolerant pastures
- Reliance on non-farm income sources
Click the button to take a look at some examples of how to apply regenerative agriculture to many farming enterprises, to minimise the impacts of climate change
TIME FOR A BREAK!
Now that you’ve learnt all about what climate change is and how it impacts on farming, it’s time to have a break and start thinking about how you might put in practice what you have learnt so far.
Questions to ask yourself
- Do you know what the projected impacts of climate change in our region will be?
- Do you know what the short, medium and long term climate change impacts on your farm might be?
Actions to think about
- Have you identified what the expected climate change impacts are for your type of farming enterprise?
- Have you considered what strategies you might deploy to manage the negative impacts of climate change on your property?
Workbook activity
After considering the questions and actions above, have you decided on priorities for managing the negative impacts of climate change? Jot down your priorities and ideas on pages 14 and 15 of the work book.
What are local farmers doing to manage the risks of climate variability?
If you are looking for some inspiration, have a look at this clip for options regarding carbon farming
WELCOME BACK!
Now that you identified the potential short, medium and long term climate change impacts on your farm, you can move on to the next part of this module; learning about soil health.
SOIL HEALTH
When your soils are resilient, they are able to resist or recover from negative impacts that climate change brings, such as drought, unusual rain and wind events (see Figure 1)
You can build the resilience of your soil by improving its biodiversity and implementing a healthy crop rotation. The first step of improving the biodiversity of your soils is to ensure that you have sufficient soil organic matter (SOM).
When your soils have good SOM, it allows the ‘soil food web’ to flourish. There are many organisms that maintain the ‘soil food web’ and create high soil biodiversity (see Figure 2)
These organisms contribute to soil biodiversity by
- Rendering plant nutrients by decomposing organic matter (bacteria and fungi)
- Contributing to a good soil aggregate stability and soil structure
- Contributing to the water holding capacity
- Contributing to disease suppressiveness (fungi, nematodes, bacteria, protozoa)
For more practical information about soil health go here click the button
Want to know how to protect and increase soil organic matter on your farm?
Want to know more?
Take a look at one of the many benefits that healthy soils can bring: improving soil organic carbon
HOW TO CONTROL ERROSION
Flood events can be destructive to your soils by washing away your topsoil and devastating your crops. In the Cradle Coast Region hillslope erosion has increased due to climate change. Our copping paddocks can be steep and are susceptible to erosion, particularly during high rainfall events.
Many types of crops involve formed soil beds (e.g. carrots, potatoes, onions) and unformed beds (beans, pyrethrum, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage). The soil is exposed at various stages of the crop growth, making it vulnerable to erosion.
How can I determine if my property is at risk of hillslope erosion?
The rate of hillslope erosion is influenced by
- The climate (wet periods, rain and flood events)
- Soil topography (slope of your paddocks)
- Plant /ground cover (bare soil)
- Land use (cropping)
The best way to manage hillslope erosion is to either
- Reduce the erosivity of water (ability of water to erode soil through rain/irrigation and resultant surface runoff), or
- Reduce the erodibility of soil (susceptibility of soil to be eroded
An effective way of tackling hillslope erosion is to reduce erosivity (water run-off) and protecting bare soil. Erosivity can be reduced by minimising the volume, velocity and flow of water run-off. One way of protecting bare soil is to limit the downhill water movement and surface run-off by encouraging the water to enter the soil profile as it moves down the slope of the paddock.
Ways to manage hillslope erosion
- Ripper mulching
- Single rip lines
- Agro plough rip lines
- Seasonal cover crops
Ripper mulching involves ripping a single line across the contours of your paddock and filling it with straw. This creates a soft ‘straw drain’ for the water run-off to soak into soil profile and capture any soil runoff.
Have a look at a ripper mulcher in action at Forthside Farm
Single rip lines can be made across the contours of a paddock in the same way as ripper mulching. In this case though, straw is not installed, but the rip line has a wider swath (0.5 metres) to collect water run-off.
Agro plough rip lines are made across the contours of your paddock to make an even wider swath (2.2 metres) to capture water run-off.
Want to know how these hillslope erosion options stack up?
COVER CROPS
Cover crops
Cover crops are a great way of making sure that your soil is not bare and at risk of erosion. The added benefits of cover crops include:
- Improving soil structure
- Feeding the soil microbiome
- Reducing nutrient leaching
- Suppressing weeds
- Nutrient fixing (nitrogen by legumes)
- Increasing nutrient availability (phosphorus by buckwheat)
- Take a look at a good overview of the benefits of green cover crops
- Sequestering carbon (when used as green manures)
Take a look at a good overview of the benefits of green manure and cover crops
Want to know more about cover crops? Click the following buttons for links to downloadable pdfs
What about in-cab technology?
See how locals are using technology to create accurate drainage to reduce erosion in cropping.
IRRIGATED CROP PRODUCTION
Irrigation is defined as the process of applying controlled amounts of water to farmland to assist in the production of crops.
There are three types irrigation, surface (or flood) irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation.
Surface (or flood) irrigation
This is the oldest means of irrigation, where water moves across the surface of agricultural lands to wet it and infiltrate into the soil. While surface irrigation requires little investment to implement, it is the least efficient form of irrigation. Other issues include the uneven distribution of water to crops, poor control of water supply to crops and much water lost through evaporation.
Credit: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Sprinkler irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation involves different systems such as centre pivot or linear irrigators, solid set irrigation systems and hard hose irrigation systems. Sprinkler systems can provide an even distribution of water with high efficiency, with water loss at a minimum. Many systems can deliver variable rates of water through individual sprinkler heads to account to landscape variation such as changes in soil type and topography.
Pivots and linear irrigators can be fitted with various nozzles to pump out different watering rates. Whilst not overly well used, the nozzles can be varied to adjust the watering overlap to reduce water use.
Want to see a centre pivot/linear variable rate irrigator in action?
Have a look at how technology is being used in irrigation in Tasmania
See what others are doing to make their irrigation efficient across the country
Credit: Tony Hisgett
Drip irrigation
Drip (or micro) irrigation can be the most water-efficient means of irrigation. Water is delivered through drippers at or near to the plant root zone and if managed properly, evaporation and runoff can be minimised.
Whilst drip irrigation can be very efficient, its application has been limited. However, it’s being embraced more in drought effected areas.
How do I go about installing drip irrigation?
Want to see how organic farmers maximise irrigation in the USA?
Credit: Williem van Aken CSIRO
How can I reduce water loss on my farm?
Did you know that maintaining tree shade over water sources can reduce water loss?
The effect of tree shade on waterways and localised human-induced climate change has been observed since at least the late eighteenth century, when German naturalist Alexander von Humoldt observed landscape changes around Lake Valencia, Venezuela. Investigating evidence of a rapid fall in the water level of Lake Valencia, Humboldt credited the desiccation to the clearance of tree cover and to the inability of the exposed soils to retain water. With their clear cutting of trees, the agriculturalists were removing the woodland's "threefold" moderating influence upon temperature: cooling shade, evaporation and radiation. The lake has been affected by algal blooms since 1976, due to continuous influx of untreated wastewater.
Algal bloom in the Lake Valencia, Venezuela.
Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery
By providing shade tree cover to your dams, waterways, creeks and any riparian area, you are also improving the quality of your water. This also helps to ensure that sediment doesn’t block the nozzles of your irrigators.
Shade from vegetation along the Forth River Tasmania. Credit: Gary Houston
Irrigation nozzle
Credit: USDA NRCS Texas
Want to go deeper into understanding how to maximise water efficiency? Have a look at these two detailed resources to learn more.
Irrigated and dairy pasture management
Over the past decade, Tasmanian farmers have experienced extremely wet years, and some of the warmest and driest years on record. These changes will have varying impacts on pasture production across Tasmania as climate change continues.
For dairy farmers, pasture management will become more important as climate change will bring the following changes pasture production
- Changes in pasture yield and quality
- Changes in the timing of farm operations, such as calving and lambing
- Changes in the timing of forage/pasture planting and harvesting
- Seasonal changes in pasture production
- Increase in productivity in regions that are currently too cold for maximum pasture production
What changes can I expect to see in pasture growth?
- Pasture yields will change
- Summer pasture growth will decrease and inter-annual variability of pasture growth will increase
- Increased pasture growth from late winter to spring due to increases in temperature
- Pasture growth in summer will be reduced due to lower soil moisture etc.
- Overall annual pasture growth will be more, but comes with inter-annual variability
What adaptions will I need to make?
Spring growth is projected to being earlier meaning that you will have opportunity to grow more pasture during this time. If this is something you want to take advantage of, you could consider some of the following
- Adjust your stocking and calving rates to match your feed supply and demand
- Increase forage conservation during the spring to cover the feed deficit during summer months
- Prepare for increased demand for nutrients, including nitrogen fertilizer
- Manage water accordingly (water demand for pastures in the short-term is projected to remain similar, while longer dry spells and drought are projected to increase)
- To adapt to variability, introduce deep-rooted pasture species more suited to drier conditions
- Introduce livestock with greater tolerance to heat stress
- Consider spring calving with greater stocking rates and pasture utilisation when pasture growth is high, but be mindful of the potential decline on milk production per animal as opposed to an increase in milk production per hectare
- Carefully manage home-grown feed and make sure stocking rates are sustainably intensified
How does this all fit into the big picture of climate change?
Want to see how Tasmanian farmers and others elsewhere are addressing climate change on their dairy farms? Take a look at these videos:
Does your property have large variations in soil types and topography? If so, you might want to consider looking at variable rate irrigation to maximise your water efficiency.
Want to know more? Click the following buttons for downloadable fact sheets
And for more comprehensive information, click below.
TIME TO TAKE ANOTHER BREAK!
Now that you’ve learnt all about soil health, controlling erosion, irrigated crop production and irrigated and dairy pasture management, it’s time to have a break and start thinking about how you might put in practice what you have learnt so far.
Questions to ask yourself
Do you know how to improve the biodiversity of your soil?
Are you aware of areas of your property that are risk of flooding?
Do you know how to reduce water loss on your farm?
Actions to think about
Have you thought about introducing cover crops, ripper mulching or shading your waterways and dams?
Do you have plans to do modify your dairy operations through changing the timing of calving or forage pasture planting and harvesting?
Are you motivated to look more into soil health, erosion, irrigation and pasture management across your whole property or in certain areas?
Workbook activity
After considering the questions and actions above, have you decided on priorities for soil health, erosion, irrigation and pasture management? Jot down your priorities and ideas on pages 14 and 15 of the work book.
Want to know more about green house gas emissions on dairy farms?
DRYLAND PASTURE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
Research suggests that the production of cool season pastures, such as perennial ryegrass will be limited by higher summer temperatures. If you want to maximise your pasture yields, you could consider using summer active pasture species in a mixed sward and introduce irrigation.
What is a mixed sward?
Benefits of using multi species grassland swards
What are my short term options?
You can consider some short-term options when adapting your dryland pastures to climate change, for example:
- Optimising fertilizer strategies
- Introducing irrigation
- Sowing a well-adapted pasture species and cultivars
- Chose pasture types that persist in the long term against drought and floods
- Assess your pasture growth and stocking rates (work out your maximum carrying capacity based on minimum pasture growth)
What about the long term?
Some of the long-term options you might want to consider include:
- Using alternative feed sources to meet summer feed demands (e.g. changing fodder conservation strategies and introducing summer active species into pastures)
- Changing calving/lambing times based on an earlier winter/spring break
- Optimise increased winter rainfall through storage for irrigation later
- Change your practices to current industry best practices (e.g. maximising ground cover and providing adequate soil nutrients)
Want to see some research on the benefits of pasture legumes on different soil types?
Check out how dryland lucerne pasture grazing options in New Zealand
Want to know more?
Pasture diversity
The productivity of non-native cool climate perennial ryegrasses that are traditionally used in Tasmania will be limited by higher summer temperatures. One option to consider is introducing diversity in your pastures through incorporating different species such as native or summer grasses.
Grass species are described as either C3 (perennial native cool) or C4 (perennial native hot). C3 grasses have their period of active growth in autumn and spring, and they brown off over summer and remain green all winter. Their optimal temperature range for germination of 15-25°C. C4 grasses brown off in winter, have active growth in summer and respond more rapidly to summer rain. Their optimal temperature range for germination of 25- 35°C.
Most of the sown (desirable) pasture species in grazing enterprises in north west Tasmania are non-native C3 grasses, such as Perennial Ryegrass, Cocksfoot and Tall Fescue. The maximum stocking rate of a grazing enterprise is determined by the animal population which can be supported through the lowest period of pasture production during the calendar year. In Tasmania, this includes pastures dominated by cool season non-native C3 grasses in summer.
Spinifex C4 native grassland Credit: Dr Fiona J Walsh
What makes C4 native grass species so special?
Grass plants utilise sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce sugars which result in growth (photosynthesis). Carbon dioxide is taken up differently by C3 and C4 grasses. C4 grasses have a higher optimum temperature for photosynthesis and germination. This gives them the ability to grow during the warmer months and persist on more challenging soil types with low summer rainfall. These traits make C4 grasses more beneficial than non-native C3 perennial grasses when creating pasture diversity in a warming climate.
Could native or C4 grass species reduce my feed deficit gap in warming climate? Some members of the Eragrostis genus may be well adapted to grazing conditions including nitrogen build up, dry conditions during early summer and high light intensity.
Other C4 or native grasses which may be worth considering adding to your pasture to provide a higher level of growth in the warmer months may include
- Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra) – C4/native
- Dallis grass (Paspalsum dilatatum) – C4/exotic
- Weeping grass (Microlaena stipoides) – C3/native
- Wallaby grass (Rhytidosperma sp.) – C3/native
Tasmanian woodland, native grassland and wetland mosaic Credit: Mathew Appleby.
Want to know how to manage and get support to look after native grasses that you may have on your property?
See how native grasses are being used in Australia
Want to know more? Of course you do!
THE VALUE OF NATIVE TREES
Native tress as protection against a warming climate
Planting native trees on your farm can provide a range of benefits such as improving production, amenity, property values and the environment generally. Many of these benefits are likely to become more prominent under a changing climate.
Aiming to have at least 10% of your farm under strategically planted tree cover can increase your farm productivity, protect waterways and water quality, provide a timber harvest in the future and make the farm a nicer (and more valuable) place to live.
How can I incorporate native trees in my farm planning?
Trees can be planted or already exist in a range of woody vegetation systems on farms, such as:
- Shelterbelt (trees often along pasture edges to provide shade/shelter)
- Riparian vegetation (woody vegetation along rivers, creeks, streams and dams)
- Pasture trees (scattered trees in existing pasture or cropping areas)
- Silvopasture-forage (forage shrubs planted in belts within pasture)
- Silvopasture mixed (fodder shrubs and plantation trees intercropped with pastures)
- Plantation (trees planted for timber production)
- Remnant native vegetation (fragments of remaining natural woody vegetation within farming landscapes)
What are the general benefits of planting native trees on my property?
Planting native trees on your farm can bring many benefits and help you adapt your enterprise to ongoing impacts of climate change. Here are some:
- Have economic and microenvironment benefits / impacts
- Lessen stress on stock (from heat and cold) and provide shelter for them
- Moderation of spray drift
- Lessen your reliance on introduced pollinators
- Reduce your pesticide usage via natural biological controls
- Increase your biodiversity
- Increase your landscape amenity and values
- If well placed, trees can be used to dry out lane ways, provide fire-breaks, stabilise roadways, and allow you to utilise less arable areas
The benefits of planting native trees on your farm are diverse
Here are more specific benefits of planting native trees on your property
- Provide habitat for crop pollinators and other beneficial insects such as lacewings, ladybirds, parasitic wasps, native bees, predatory mites and spiders which may prey on agricultural pests and provide a level of natural biological control
- Help reduce or prevent soil erosion through reducing wind scour and rapid drying of soil, and through physical protection of roots binding gullies and banks in place
- Reduce the risk of biosecurity issues such as ‘nose to nose’ contact, and act as a barrier to windblown weed seed entry
- Provide fence posts, timber, firewood, fodder and honey
- Reduced nutrient fertiliser (phosphate)and pathogen (Escherichia coli) concentrations in streams with riparian vegetation, in addition to decreased turbidity in wet winters, after storms and after periods of heavy grazing
- Farm values with shelterbelts and remnant native vegetation increased in capital value by 15%
- If planted for agroforestry purposes, provision of another income stream when trees are mature
Want to get some ideas?
Have a look at how Tasmanian farmers are connecting native vegetation across the landscape
Go here to see how Tasmanian farmers are looking after native forest for carbon trading
THE BENEFITS OF SHELTERBELTS
What about shelterbelts, how beneficial are they?
Shelterbelts can alter the environmental conditions across the paddock and result in higher pasture production on the leeward side by reducing turbulence and wind speed. This in turn reduces evaporation by 15-20% irrespective of season in the 400m sheltered area of the paddock.
Wind speed and turbulence in shelterbelt zones (Woodland Trust 2015)
Research in Tasmania showed that planting trees increased crop production through protection from drying wind, including:
- Spring pasture productivity at Cressy was 30% higher in the sheltered half of a paddock in comparison to the unsheltered half
- Windspeed was reduced by 30% across the sheltered area of pasture at Cressy, leading to a 15-20% reduction in evapotranspiration in the sheltered zone of pasture compared to the unsheltered area
- Lucerne hay yields increased by up to approximately 300% in the sheltered area at Epping Forest compared to the area with no tree shelter, equating to a benefit of about $147 per hectare
Shelterbelts have proven to be effective in temperate areas of Australia, where crop yields have reported increases of up to 47% due to the effect of tree shelter.
Want some advice?
If you need advice on shelterbelt design in the context of a whole farm plan or advice for a grant funding opportunity, contact Cradle Coast Authority Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator Tom O’Malley via email at tomalley@cradlecoast.com to arrange a site visit.
Impact of shelterbelts on pasture growth (Private Forests Tasmania, CSIRO, University of Tasmania & Australian Research Council Centre for Forest Value 2017)
Good for animals too
Planting trees helps to reduce the amount of energy your animals use, as they can enjoy some shade from the sun and shelter from the wind and rain that trees provide them.
In Tasmania wind chill can significantly reduce the temperature of the air. As air temperature drops, animals need to increase their energy requirements to stay warm. Which means that they need to eat more.
For every 1° drop in air temperature below the critical lower temperature (0°C for beef cattle), there is an approximate 2% increase in energy requirements (and therefore feed requirements) to maintain body temperature. When temperatures rise in the warmer months of the year (above 26°C) dairy cows need to increase their metabolic effort by 20-30% to keep comfortable. Trees can provide both shelter (warmth) and shade (cooling) in both these circumstances.
Want to know how to go about tree planting on your farm?
For more information on designing and planting a farm shelterbelt or riparian zone, check out this great booklet on Shelterbelts for North-West Tasmania
Want some advice?
If you need advice on shelterbelt design in the context of a whole farm plan or for a grant funding opportunity, contact Cradle Coast Authority Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator Tom O’Malley via email at tomalley@cradlecoast.com to arrange a site visit.
TIME FOR A BREAK!
Now that you’ve learnt all about dryland pasture management and native trees on farms, it’s time to have a break and start thinking about how you might put in practice what you have learnt so far.
Questions to ask yourself
Do you know how climate change might impact on your pasture productivity and animal health?
Actions to think about
- Have you considered diversifying your pastures to include native or exotic C4 grasses?
- Do you have plans to do plant more native trees on your property?
Workbook activity
After considering the questions and actions above, have you decided on priorities for dryland pasture management and native trees on farms? Jot down your priorities and ideas on pages 14 and 15 of the work book.
Alternative break time...
Before you move on the next part of this model, have you wondered how one of our tallest native trees survive?
Watch this video to find out
WELCOME BACK!
Now that you have learnt about how to manage pasture and the benefit of trees you can move on to the next parts of this module:
THE BENEFITS OF POLLINATION BELTS
Benefits of pollination belts
Globally, nearly 90% of wild flowering plants species depend on animal pollination. These plants are vital for the functioning of our ecosystems. Pollinators are also critical in the production of our food and maintenance of our natural resources and habitats.
More than 75% of leading global crop types benefit from animal pollination for production, yield and quality.
Climate change has impacted on the range, abundance and seasonal activities of some wild pollinators. Loss of habitat and pollution has reduced the food and nesting places of pollinators.
Planting pollination belts on your farm can bring many benefits:
- Provide habitat for pollinators
- Assist in the pollination of crops and pastures
- Contribute to making clean air and sequestering of carbon
- Purify water and prevent erosion through roots that hold the soil in place
- Shelter and protection for livestock
- Provide habitat for native animals
A Red Wattle-bird pollinates a Pimelia physodes flower Credit: Gallpix
What should I consider when planting pollination belt?
It’s a good idea to locate your pollination belt near crops or pastures to maximize the pollination benefits. Here are some things to consider:
- Consider planting unused areas such as fence lines
- For small pollinator belts plant an area of approximately 2 metres wide and select plants with a height of less than 3 metres
- Avoid planting on spillways or dam walls or within 5 metres of dam walls to prevent leakage from penetrating roots
- Consider combining larger pollination species into your shelter belts such as Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) or common teatree (an attractant to honey bees and a preferred species of the apiary industry)
Bees pollinating a flower Credit: Peterwchen
Want to know about the role of bees in pollination and how they are threatened? Learn about the importance of pollinators
Check out some preliminary research in Australia about how to protect pollinator biodiversity
Have a look at the role of native bees in glass houses
Hear why farmers plant pollinator habitat in agriculture
See an example of pollinator habitat on farmland
All of the local planting guides for the region are already on the CCA website as one document, and can be found via the button below
WINE GRAPE PRODUCTION
Wine grape production is particularly sensitive to temperature and therefore sensitive to the impacts of climate change. Increases in temperature are likely to affect wine production.
Some impacts are
- shortened growing season,
- impacts on flavour and aroma profiles, grape yield and quality changes,
- impacts on suitability of grape varieties
On the mainland changes are already present, such as earlier bud burst, ripening and harvesting. The number of growing degree days (GDD) are predicted to increase, this will influence choice of crop, length of growing season, yield and quality. There are more risks to wine production including frost sensitivity to early bud bursts, and fungal diseases caused by increased temperature and rainfall.
Take a look at the big picture of climate change and its impact on wine production globally
What can I do to lessen the impacts of climate change on my vineyard?
Here are some short term options
- manage canopies (to allow better air flow, spray penetration and protection of fruit from sunburn)
- manage vineyard floor (reduce reflective heat and ambient heat)
- use irrigation on extremely hot days
- trial alternative varieties better suited to warmer temperatures, later season rainfall and shorter growing seasons
Adding protective covering to new Pinot Noir plantings, Granton, Tasmania Credit: Mark Smith
Here are some medium to long term options
- plant more drought and heat tolerant varieties or clones of varieties if your water sources are limited
- select more disease resistant varieties and clones
- plant new vineyards in more diverse locations (higher or lower elevations and different aspects
- trial Mediterranean varieties
- consider adopting biodynamic and sustainable production options
Biodynamic composting Granton vineyard Tasmania Credit: Mark Smith
Farmers are moving their grape vines further uphill to avoid climate change heat
Watch this BBC video to learn more
Here is further information about management strategies for climate adaption for vineyards
And here is some information about carbon neutrality in the Australian wine industry
And here is a downloadable pdf about the impact of climate change on wine grape production, opportunities for growers
FINAL BREAK TIME!
Now that you’ve learnt all about pollination belts and wine grape production, it’s time to have a break and start thinking about how you might put in practice what you have learnt so far.
Questions to ask yourself
Are you aware of the sources of pollinators on your property?
Actions to think about
Are you motivated to look more into pollination belts across your whole property or in certain areas?
Workbook activity
After considering the questions and actions above, have you decided on priorities for pollination belts and wine grape production?
Jot down your priorities and ideas on pages 14 and 15 of the work book.
Looking for more inspiration?
If you are looking for some inspiration, have a look at how farmers are adopting new techniques and technologies in places where climate change is having significant impacts
And how farmers plan for climate change using the Adapt NSW portal
And learn about the future of farming in drought-hardened Australia
CONGRATULATIONS!
Well done! You have completed this farming in a changing climate module. You have learnt about
- What climate change is
- How climate change is impacting on farming
- The local impacts of climate change in the Cradle Coast region
- What farming in a changing climate looks like
- Soil health
- How to control erosion
- Cover crops
- Irrigated crop production
- Irrigated dairy pasture management
- Dryland pasture management options
- Pasture diversity
- Native trees as protection against a waring climate
- Benefits of pollination belts
- Wine grape production
- How farmers are adopting new techniques and technologies
SURVEY TIME!
About the survey
You are invited to participate in a survey to understand the usefulness of this online course and what property management planning actions you are planning to take as a result of your learning. Survey data will be used for reporting the success of the online course to our funding body; the Federal Government.
Who is conducting the survey?
Staff from the Cradle Coast NRM are conducting the survey.
Who is being invited?
Surveys will be undertaken with those participating in this property management planning (PMP) online course.
Why be involved?
To contribute to greater understanding of the motivations for rural landholders and their learning requirements.
What does the survey involve?
There will eight surveys during this online course, at the end of each module. The surveys will set questions where you can rate your feelings and attitudes toward your learning from this online course and what actions you intend to take on your property. Each survey will take around 5 minutes to complete.
Do you have any questions?
If you have questions or concerns about the project and feel you need more information please contact Tom (listed below).
Will your comments be anonymous?
No, your answers will be identifiable as belonging to you, as your name is required to match the data from your eight surveys. However, what you say in your answers to the surveys will not be attributed to you and will be de-identified once the data is collected.
Do I need to give my consent?
Yes. You must provide your consent to be able to take part in the surveys. You will be provided with a consent form before the survey starts.
All recorded information; both electronically recording (text) and written notes will be stored securely under electronic / physical key at the Cradle Coast NRM.
Will there be any risk or discomfort?
It is not likely that the survey about your experience of this online course will cause you risk or discomfort, but should you feel uncomfortable in any way, please stop the survey by clicking the 'Exit' button. You can decline to answer any question, change your mind about any thing you have shared and ask that any of your answers or comments be deleted from the survey at any time. You can withdraw from the survey at any time and all of your recorded data will be withdrawn and destroyed immediately.
Can I have access to results from the survey?
You can ask to receive an electronic summary of the survey findings by supplying an email address.
Please click on the link below to open the survey for this module.
CONTACT DETAILS
Tom O’Malley
Phone: 0410 150 994
Email: tomalley@cradlecoast.com
Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in the surveys.
Credits:
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