Talkin' After Hours with the Lower Blackwood LCDC
44 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago -Talkin After Hours with the Lower Blackwood LCDC is hosted by Jo Wren and Kate Tarrant from the Lower Blackwood LCDC who, each month, will be talking all things Sustainable Ag, bringing you an interesting and informative interview with an expert on a particular farming or landcare topic. The Lower Blackwood LCDC are a not-for-profit, community managed, independent Landcare and sustainable Ag organisation located in the South West of Western Australia.
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Talkin' Dung Beetles with Kathy Dawson & Kylie Cook
March 26, 2024 01:37 - 42 minutes - 58.1 MBIn this month's episode Jo & Kate chat to two southwest WA landcarers who have been very active in working with livestock farmers to get some very handy ecosystem engineers working on their farms. We are talking about Dung Beetles and our local experts are Kathy Dawson from Southern Forests Community Landcare based in Manjimup and Kylie Cook from Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee, based in Denmark. Show notes available via Talkin' After Hours, our online community & information hub.
Talkin' Plant Diversity & Animal Nutrition with Fred Provenza.
February 29, 2024 03:14 - 1 hour - 85.5 MBIn this Talkin After Hours Episode Jo & Kate chat to Fred Provenza, Professor Emeritus, Dept. Wildland Resources, Utah State University. For the past 30 years, Fred and his team have produced ground-breaking research that has laid the foundation for what is now known as behavior-based management of livestock, wildlife and landscapes. This research led to the creation in 2001 of a consortium of scientists and land managers from five continents called BEHAVE (Behavioral Education for Huma...
Talkin' Soil Function & Fertility with Mark Tupman
January 30, 2024 09:28 - 28 minutes - 38.7 MBIn this months podcast Jo & Kate chat with Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology on a topic that is absolutely fundamental to agriculture – that of soil function & fertility. In our conversation we delve into what is actually meant by soil function, why and how it is so critical to soil fertility, and what are the most effective strategies we can implement to build soil fertility.
Talkin' Nitrogen with Joel Williams
November 30, 2023 02:59 - 46 minutes - 64.2 MBIn this episode of Talkin’ After Hours Jo & Kate chat to Joel Williams on the hot topic of Nitrogen – how it works in the nutrient cycle and how can we best optimise its use – particularly in grazing systems.
Talkin' On Farm Bugs & Brews with David Hardwick
October 31, 2023 05:20 - 40 minutes - 55.7 MBIn this months podcast we chat to agroecologist & partner in rural change management company Soil Land Food, David Hardwick on the hot topic of making your own biofertilisers .David learned the skills of making bugs and brews from the masters at Mas humas and has been passing on that information ever since. In the podcast David shares tips, tricks & recipes to make starter cultures, inoculants, bioferments and biofertilisers.
Talkin' Ferals in the Frame - with Dr Heather Channon
September 29, 2023 09:06 - 33 minutes - 46.2 MBFeral Pigs are a major pest across a Australia and are in fact wreaking havoc right here in our backyard in the Lower Blackwood Catchment. Here at the LCDC we’ve been working with the Lower Blackwood Vertebrate Pest Management group for a number of years on controlling the local pig population and are coming into our third year of our State NRM funded project ‘Feral Pig Focus – Protecting the Scott Coastal Plain’. In this month's Talkin' Podcast we chat to Dr Heather Channon, the National ...
Talkin' Composting for Farms with Mark Tupman
August 23, 2023 07:58 - 32 minutes - 44.3 MBIn this episode Jo & Kate talk to Agroecologist Mark Tupman on all things composting for farms - what the options are, how to make them, and how to best utilise the compost on your farm. This podcast is supported though funding from Soil Wise. Soil Wise is funded by the National Landcare Program Smart Farms Small Grants – an Australian Government initiative. It is supported by Healthy Estuaries WA – a State Government program.
Driving Plant Health through Nutrition with Grant Sims
July 31, 2023 05:24 - 45 minutes - 61.9 MBIn this Talkin’ After Hours Podcast Jo & Kate chat once again to Victorian cropper, seed grower & beef farmer Grant Sims. Grant has driven farm health and productivity gains on his farm through adhering to a set of principles that have included the use of multi species cover crops, eliminating the use of 'icides' and largely replacing high input synthetic fertilisers with foliar fed biofertilisers. This is our second podcast with Grant, last time we focused on multispecies cover croppin...
Biodiverse Pastures - Challenges & Techniques with Jade Killoran
June 29, 2023 07:02 - 32 minutes - 45.2 MBIn this Talkin' podcast Jo & Kate chat to Jade Killoran, Victorian independent multispecies cover crop advisor, researcher and founder of Healthy Farming Systems. Although the Victorian climate is slightly different to ours, it is similar enough that so much of what Jade has researched is very applicable in our environment. In this episode we explore with Jade her research and trial findings and what strategies land managers can use to get diverse & perennial plants established in their...
A Regenerative Journey with Blythe Calnan
May 29, 2023 07:38 - 47 minutes - 65.7 MBIn this podcast episode Jo & Kate talk with South West farmer Blythe Calnan about her regenerative journey with her partner Greg Hooper - their motivations, the challenges and the opportunities in running 'Runnymede', a commercial regenerative farm. This podcast is supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development as part of a collaboration bringing Dr Christine Jones to Western Australia in February 2023.
Talkin' Horses, Pastures & Soil with Belinda Taylor
May 25, 2023 04:00 - 26 minutes - 36.5 MBIn this episode Jo & Kate talk with South West equine agronomist Belinda Taylor on horses, pastures & soil - including how to get more diversity into equine systems and what that means for management of your horse or horses. This podcast is supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development as part of a collaboration bringing Dr Christine Jones to Western Australia in February 2023.
Talkin' Soil Secrets with Dr Christine Jones
April 28, 2023 00:53 - 51 minutes - 70.7 MBIn this Talkin' episode Jo & Kate talk with internationally renowned soils ecologist Dr Christine on the secrets that make healthy soils tick and the soil as a living system - including a dive into the ‘liquid carbon pathway’ – what it is, why we need it, how to help it and how to avoid hindering it. This podcast is supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development as part of a collaboration bringing Dr Christine Jones to Western Australia in February 2023.
Grazing to Regenerate Your Land with Dr Judi Earl
March 30, 2023 07:40 - 32 minutes - 44.9 MBIn this Talkin' episode we talk to Holistic Grazing expert Dr Judi Earl on the principles of grazing management and how grazing livestock can be used to regenerate their land. This is our second podcast with Judi, we chatted to her last year all about Grass – in fact that podcast is a ‘must listen to’ as a good understanding of how grasses grow and respond to being grazed is key to understanding how livestock can be used to enhance soil health and pasture production. This podcast is suppo...
Talkin' Carbon Farming - A DIY Case Study with Brett Hazelden and Jennifer West
February 16, 2023 09:31 - 36 minutes - 50.3 MBIn this Talkin' episode we delve into ‘warts & all’ exploration on the planning, preparation & implementation of a ‘Do it yourself’ Soil Carbon project. Our guests are Jennifer West from Carbon West, founder of Carbon West, an independent carbon services consultancy specialising in soil carbon project research, assessment, and development, and Brett Hazelden, a Lower Blackwood sheep farmer who is undertaking an independent soil carbon project on his Warner Glen property.
Talkin' Weeds - a new perspective with Nicole Masters
November 24, 2022 05:02 - 30 minutes - 42 MBIn this podcast episode we chat with New Zealand agroecologist, author & educator, & the perennially effervescent Nicole Masters, on the topic of weeds & their management - not in the conventional way, but through the lens of ecosystem health. In this perspective weeds are not seen as the ‘foe’, nor is there a need to 'wage war’ on them, instead an ecosystems approach seeks to understand what their role is in the system, with the ' why' providing the key to their management in your overall s...
Talkin' Harnessing Nature to Manage Vineyard Pests
October 27, 2022 01:34 - 40 minutes - 55.9 MBIn this month’s podcast episode we talk to South Australian viticulturist, natural systems thinker, scientist & educator, Dr Mary Retallack. In 2012 Mary undertook a PhD research study which really challenged the conventions of viticulture by harnessing the power of native insectary plants as a key to managing vineyard pests naturally. Her research, and passion for the topic has culminated in an exciting new project that Mary is spearheading, the National EcoVineyards Program funded by Win...
Talkin' Water on the Farm with Warren Pensini
September 28, 2022 22:33 - 33 minutes - 46.4 MBIn this episode of Talkin' After Hours we talk to south west farmer and grass fed beef producer Warren Pensini. Warren is a a 4th generation cattle farmer &, together with his wife Lori, manages ‘Paraway’, a 664 ha property in Boyup Brook. Warren & Lori’s philosophy is to produce quality food ethically in a manner that has minimal impact and stress on their animals, community and environment, while creating a positive financial outcome for their family. Up until 2018 the Pensini’s sold the...
Alternative Dairy Effluent Management with farmer Brad Boley & Dr Stephan Tait
August 30, 2022 06:17 - 25 minutes - 35 MBIn this Talkin' After Hours podcast , Jo & Kate talk to A2 milk producer Brad Boley, & University of Southern Queensland Research Fellow, Dr Stephan Tait about an alternative way to manage dairy effluent. In 2019 a trial of manure separation was conducted on Brad’s farm using a commercial dewatering/filtering equipment called the Z-Filter. The aim of manure separation is to provide options for dairy farmers to beneficially utilise nutrients and organic material in effluent, whilst simultaneo...
Talkin' Compost with the Johnson Su's
August 01, 2022 02:59 - 34 minutes - 47.2 MBIn this episode of Talkin’ After Hours Jo & Kate chatted to molecular biologist, Dr David Johnson & his wife Hui-Chun Su Johnson about David’s research and development of an agricultural management method called BEAM (Biologically Enhanced Agricultural Management) and the now renowned composting system he devised with Hui-Chun called the Johnson-Su Compost Bioreactor. This composting process produces biologically diverse, fungal-dominated compost for helping to improve soil health & conseque...
Talkin' Grass with Dr Judi Earl
June 29, 2022 07:14 - 26 minutes - 37 MBIn this episode of Talkin’ After Hours Jo & Kate tapped into Dr Judi Earl’s PhD on Pasture Ecology to talk grass, and also how land managers can enhance the condition and productivity of their land through improved ecosystem function, and more effective utilisation of their pasture.
Transitioning Your Pasture to Perennials with David Hardwick
May 30, 2022 03:19 - 26 minutes - 36.7 MBIn this Talkin' After Hours Podcast, Jo & Kate chat to agroecologist David Hardwick from Soil Land Food. The topic for this episode is something of a conundrum for this neck of the woods... that is, how do we go about transitioning from a primarily annual & low diversity pasture system to a multispecies & perennial system in a Mediterranean climate...and why we should consider doing it? This podcast forms part of the Lower Blackwood LCDC's Project 'Pasture Biodiversity to Build Soil Healt...
Carbon Farming Unpacked with Lachy Ritche
April 28, 2022 05:43 - 29 minutes - 40.7 MBWhen done right, carbon projects boost a farm’s bottom line and increase the productivity of the land. The key is carefully integrating carbon farming projects within an existing production system, but navigating the process can be confusing. In this episode Jo & Kate talk to Carbon Farming Foundation (CFF) Founder & CEO Lachy Ritchie about the Carbon Farming landscape in Australia and how CFF’s Do-It-Yourself model works.
Priming Your Seeds for Success with Mark Tupman
March 28, 2022 06:46 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBIn this Talkin’ After Hours Podcast Jo and Kate talk to Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology. For over two decades Mark has been active in the fields of organic/biodynamic production, permaculture, sustainability, agro-ecology and holistic management and in between times managed an orchard, animals and food gardens on his own property. Recently Mark has been working with the LCDC as a project consultant on a couple of Lower Blackwood projects - Regenerative Agriculture in Practice & Pasture ...
Setting Your Seeds Up for Success with Mark Tupman
March 28, 2022 06:46 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBIn this Talkin’ After Hours Podcast Jo and Kate talk to Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology. For over two decades Mark has been active in the fields of organic/biodynamic production, permaculture, sustainability, agro-ecology and holistic management and in between times managed an orchard, animals and food gardens on his own property. Recently Mark has been working with the LCDC as a project consultant on a couple of Lower Blackwood projects - Regenerative Agriculture in Practice & Pasture ...
Talkin Biostimulants with Mark Tupman
March 28, 2022 06:46 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBIn this Talkin’ After Hours Podcast Jo and Kate talk to Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology. For over two decades Mark has been active in the fields of organic/biodynamic production, permaculture, sustainability, agro-ecology and holistic management and in between times managed an orchard, animals and food gardens on his own property. Most recently he has taken on the role of horticulture project manager at the Witchcliffe Ecovillage development plus Mark has been working with us as a proje...
Talkin' Multispecies Pastures with Grant Sims
February 28, 2022 01:47 - 39 minutes - 54.6 MBIn this episode, Kate and Jo talk to beef farmer, cropper & seed grower Grant Sims from Down Under Covers. Grant Sims is a sixth-generation farmer running the family farm with his wife Naomi and 4 children in Northcentral Victoria Australia. The farm is 8500 acres of dryland and some irrigation. When Grant took over the farm full time he started looking at ways to improve the life and function of the soil through biology. One of the key tools that Grant has been using to do that is compani...
Talkin' Agroforestry with Rowan Reid
January 25, 2022 08:53 - 43 minutes - 59.1 MBIn this episode of Talkin' After Hours, Jo & Kate talk to Rowan Reid from Bambra Agroforestry Farms. Rowan is the Managing Director of the Australian Agroforestry Foundation and co-founder of one of Australia's largest and most successful Landcare groups, the Otway Agroforestry Network. Their conversation with Rowan dives into the world of agroforestry & the topic of 'trees in farm for a purpose' - the what, why & how!
Talkin' Grazing to Regenerate Soils with Dick Richardson
December 14, 2021 02:03 - 36 minutes - 49.5 MBDick Richardson is an internationally recognised leader in the practice of natural grazing to improve soil depth and health, water retention, increased biodiversity and animal production. In this podcast episode Jo & Kate talk to Dick about his method of grazing to regenerate soils, 'Grazing Naturally', - how it works & why Dr Christine Jones recommends it.
Talkin' Pasture Renovation with Niels Olsen
December 10, 2021 07:46 - 31 minutes - 42.7 MBNeils Olsen is the inventor of the Soilkee Pasture Renovator, and together with Corporate Carbon was issued the first soil carbon credits under the Australian Government's Emissions Reduction Fund in March 2019. In just six years, Niels used his invention, in combination with multispecies cover cropping, to lift soil organic matter levels from 2% to 10% on his beef property in Gippsland, Victoria. In this episode Jo & Kate talk with Niels about his experiences in using cover cropping to im...
On Farm Biodiversity & Soil Health with Dr Christine Jones
November 25, 2021 04:54 - 1 hour - 91.5 MBIn this episode Jo & Kate talk to internationally renowned and highly respected groundcover and soils ecologist Dr Christine Jones about biodiversity on the farm, why it’s important and how it can impact on soil health.
Revegetating Your Farm & Waterways with Brooke Devine
October 26, 2021 05:13 - 36 minutes - 50.8 MBIn this episode Jo & Kate talk to revegetation expert Brook Devine from Cape Life, on how to successfully revegetate areas of your farm & farm waterways.
Our Story of Country with Iszaac Webb, Wadandi Cultural Custodian
September 29, 2021 05:39 - 44 minutes - 61.5 MBIn this episode Jo and Kate welcome Iszaac Webb from the Undalup Association, a not-for-profit organisation that supports the growth & diversity of Aboriginal & non-Aboriginal communities. Zac, as he likes to be known, is a Wadandi-Pibulmun cultural custodian of the Noongar nation. Zac’s family have lived continuously on this land (the south west of WA) for generations and have passed onto Zac the wealth of knowledge of his people’s culture, including their language. In this conversati...
Regenerative Vineyard Systems with Richard Leask
July 29, 2021 08:01 - 35 minutes - 49.2 MBIn this episode, Joh and Kate talk to South Australian viticulturalist and 2019 Nuffield Scholar Richard Leask. With support from Wine Australia, Richard travelled across Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, France, Canada, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, New Zealand and the US, meeting with regenerative agriculture farmers and leading soil researchers to identify practices that would be applicable in Australian wine grape production systems. As a result of his travels, Richard concluded that if Au...
Talkin' Soil Testing with Dave Rogers
May 26, 2021 12:03 - 39 minutes - 34.8 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by Dave Rogers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Dave comes from a farming background and has a real passion for helping develop agricultural systems that are as productive as possible while minimising offsite impacts. Dave believes that “getting soils right” is one of the few areas where you can have massive positive impacts on the productivity and profitability of the farm while improving environmental outcomes. I...
Talkin' Cover Crops with Graeme Sait
April 30, 2021 00:43 - 47 minutes - 40.1 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by world leading sustainable agriculture educator Graeme Sait, the CEO and co-founder of Nutri-Tech Solutions (NTS). He is also an author, responsible for over 300 published articles and a popular book, “Nutrition Rules!”. He also created the internationally acclaimed, ‘NTS Certificate in Nutrition Farming®. This course has now extended the understanding of over 40,000 farmers, on four continents. Graeme is passionate in sharing his knowledge and exp...
Soil Systems with Mark Tupman
February 24, 2021 14:12 - 42 minutes - 38.3 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology. For over two decades Mark has been active in the fields of organic/biodynamic production, permaculture, sustainability, agro-ecology and holistic management and in between times managed an orchard, animals and food gardens on his own property. In this conversation, Mark shares some of his extensive knowledge on the interplay between the soil environment, soil biology and nutrient availability.
Not your everyday chicken - A Farm to Fork story with Michelle McManus
December 17, 2020 04:36 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by Michelle McManus from Southampton Homestead in Balingup. Michelle, together with her husband Jeff Pow, run WA’s first pasture-raised poultry farm. Michelle and Jeff manage their poultry as part of a planned grazing program, following a small herd of cows and moved every day onto fresh, biodiverse and mostly perennial pasture. The birds are harvested by hand in their on-farm poultry micro-abattoir. In this conversation, Jo and Kate take a close...
Landscape Function with David Hardwick
November 23, 2020 09:39 - 32 minutes - 26.1 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by agroecologist & partner in the rural change management company Soil Land Food, David Hardwick. With over 20 years’ experience in rural landscapes, farming and food systems, David & his company have developed and delivered many extension projects that focus on providing farmers with the knowledge & skills they need to move towards a more regenerative, ecological future. In this conversation, Jo and Kate take a closer look into the topic of landscap...
Farming for Biodiversity with Matt Dermody
September 23, 2020 11:47 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by local South West viticulturalist & regenerative agriculture management specialist Matt Dermody. Matt began working in the vineyards from the age of 17 & over the last 20 years Matt has amassed a wealth of knowledge and skills through work & travel in the viticulture business, also completing a Bachelor in Agribusiness along the way. More recently Matt has developed a strong passion to focus on studying and implementing regenerative agricultural meth...
Talkin' Soil Compaction with Nicole Masters
August 26, 2020 09:45 - 40 minutes - 38.2 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by internationally renowned agro-ecologist, educator & systems thinker Nicole Masters. Nicole has spent over 20 years working throughout Australasia & North America, coaching, consulting & advising producers on the approaches, tools & thinking required to build soil & ecosystem health, food quality & profitability. Nicole has recently added ‘author’ to her list of accomplishments, publishing her first book “For the Love of Soil” last year. In this con...
A Conversation with Dr Christine Jones
June 24, 2020 06:23 - 53 minutes - 46.9 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by internationally renowned and highly respected groundcover and soils ecologist Dr Christine Jones. Christine has a wealth of experience working with innovative landholders to implement regenerative land management practices that enhance biodiversity, increase biological activity, sequester carbon, activate soil nutrient cycles, restore water balance, improve productivity and create new topsoil. In her long career Christine has published more than ...
Farming in a Closed Loop System with Anthony Quinlan
May 28, 2020 02:14 - 34 minutes - 30.6 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by the founder and owner of Soil Dynamics, Anthony Quinlan to share his view on the issues, challenges & rewards of developing a closed loop farm system and discuss the keys steps for getting started. Through his business Soil Dynamics, Anthony performs land capability assessments and consults to many organic growers, from vineyards to vegetables. He has also been making compost for over 20 years and was a pioneer in the development of compost extra...
Perennial Pastures with Dan Parnell
April 30, 2020 03:49 - 34 minutes - 32.5 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by Agronomist and Western Dairy Dairycare project officer Dan Parnell to explore what the key factors are in establishing a perennial pasture in our climate, & what is required for ongoing successful perennial pasture management. Dan operates his own South West agronomy business Agsure where he works with farmers on their pasture and soil management and his role with Western Dairy sees him delivering the Feeding Pastures for profit workshops, support...
Regenerative Grazing Management with Graeme Hand
April 06, 2020 06:25 - 35 minutes - 33.5 MBIn this episode, Jo and Kate talk to consultant Graeme Hand and focus on a key element of Regen Ag which is Regenerative Grazing Management, a structured way of using animals to regenerate pasture, improve soil health and soil carbon storage of soils. The LCDC were able to bring Graeme over from beautiful Tasmania to run a workshop for their farmers and undertake some individual farm consults to assist them in developing their own regenerative grazing program. www.lowerblackwood.com.au ...