In a combined effort to promote the vital need for biodiversity and on-farm crop-production benefit, a team of specialists worked through the winter on four sites in the Moree district to demonstrate the technology’s possibilities.

The aim of the Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority (CMA) team was to use these sites as demonstrations and educational tools to show farmers that large-scale biodiversity can be achieved far more easily, and economically, by using modern technology.

Rather than just planting trees from tubes – the “old” and somewhat labour intensive way – the new idea is to use direct-drill technology to more quickly and effectively establish an entire community of vegetation.

A planting can encompass a wide range of trees, shrubs, grasses and other groundcover plants that can be found in adjacent remnant vegetation.

Mr Carr said there was an advantage to working with conventional agricultural planters because many landholders already had this equipment.

More in The Land, December 17.