Weed control takes a long term commitment
Weeds can have a devastating effect on farm productivity and sustainability if left uncontrolled. A long term, integrated commitment is required from all landholders and resource management organisations to keep these invaders at bay. Landcare groups are very important in ensuring every landholder is contributing. Project Platypus undertakes a Weed Attack program every year with our current target weeds being Bridal Creeper, Patterson’s Curse, St Johns Wort and Chilean Needle Grass. We not only assist landholders but also spray roadsides, public areas and loan our spray trailer to Landcare groups to undertake their own control work.

To report weeds in the Upper Wimmera Catchment please contact Project Platypus.

Getting rid of rabbits - an ongoing process
When looking at the rolling hills of the Upper Wimmera it is hard to believe long-term residents when they talk about the days when these hills were covered in rabbits not grass or trees. Many decades of intensive rabbit control work has got populations at a manageable level, however, it is still an ongoing process to ensure it is kept under control. This is another area where Landcare groups play an important role in ensuring an integrated approach. Several of the Landcare groups in the Upper Wimmera receive government funding to assist in this work and Project Platypus assists by employing facilitators on behalf of the groups to assist with fumigating, ripping and destroying warrens.

Whole Farm Planning to sustainable agriculture
Whole Farm Planning is becoming essential to agricultural management. Project Platypus assists and encourages all landholders to undertake a Whole Farm Planning course through The Wimmera Catchment Management Authority. Planning for the future is vital when decisions need to be made in regard to pastures, crop rotation, stock rotation, land class fencing, revegetation, salinity control and erosion control. Whole Farm Planning can also assist with making your farm run as a business and helps to address issues such as minimising risks, taking holidays, sustaining your mental health and diversifying income.

Stock containment areas protect fragile soils
To better manage farms, landholders are being encouraged to utilise Stock Containment during dry summer months. The Department of Primary Industries offers financial assistance to construct areas which will allow farmers to remove stock from parts of their land and hill tops before it is eaten bare. Protecting land in this way assists pasture health and farm productivity. It also assists to protect the soils: reduces salinity, soil loss by wind blow, erosion and silt contribution to waterways. Project Platypus has received government funding from the National Landcare Program to construct stock containment areas on a focus farm to demonstrate the practical implications of their construction.

Shelterbelts - multi purpose farm assets
Shelter provided by rows of trees provide shade, shelter and wind protection for the farming enterprise. They can also be utilised to create a barrier to neighboring properties or as a visual block between stock in adjacent paddocks. These plantings increase the aesthetic value of farms and attract wildlife resulting in a healthier farming landscape. Project Platypus assists many landholders to construct shelter belts, often combining the agricultural benefits with biodiversity benefits, linking up patches of remnant habitat to allow dispersion of wildlife.
Revegetating steep hills a priority for managing salinity
Revegetating the bare steep hills in the upper catchment is a priority for reducing salinity. It is ironic that not so long ago farmers were being paid to remove trees and clear their land. Now millions of dollars are being spent trying to revegetate the hills in this region. Like so many aspects of land management, the hills were cleared with the best intentions and with the knowledge available at that point in time. Consequently it has been shown that by keeping recharge areas well vegetated we can reduce salinity on the lower slopes and discharge areas. Project Platypus has spent many years tackling this issue, including major Plantouts on hill tops in the region. The Wimmera Catchment Management Authority oversees a Catchment Tender Program, which recognises the community benefit of protecting these areas. It allows landowners to apply for funding to protect and revegetate their hill tops, whilst being compensated for loss of income from not grazing this area.