A MOPARRABAH cattle property located 40 kilometres west of Kempsey is trying out a different approach to hydrate the landscape.
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The owner, Bruce Raeburn, who is also a member of Macleay Landcare, says he has improved his property through slowing the flow of water along his creek, and minimising creek bank erosion by building a riparian fence.
"To rehydrate my property, I have strategically planted thousands of trees and shrubs in and along the creek bed," he said.
"Now the water flows slower, and water holes are deeper, which has improved the fish life, and gradually, due to the water's slower flow, silt and gravel have been deposited into the creek bed which has steadily raised its height.
"I hope that in a flood, water will now flow right across the flat, watering my pecan nut and poplar trees."
His new approach is already paying off, but Bruce says he will continue working to rehydrate his property to try and mitigate the severity of future bushfires and drought.
"Last year was such a dry year for the Macleay Valley, Kempsey had 120mm less rainfall than in the drought of 1902," Bruce said.
"So we now need to do all we can to help rehydrate the landscape."
Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan recently visited Bruce to get a first-hand look at the Moparrabah cattle property's innovative land management practices.
"It was great to catch up with Bruce, and see what he has done to care for his property's creek catchment," he said.
"His hard work is really paying off as through good land stewardship, his pasture has improved, and he can now run 300 breeders as opposed to 100 head of cattle.
"Our Federal Nationals Government is committed to delivering programs that reward farmers for their stewardship, such as the four-year $34 million Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Pilot Program and the Australian Farm Biodiversity Certification Scheme."
For more information on the AG2030 plan and agriculture support measures in the Federal Budget, visit https://nationals.org.au/AG2030.
