Sustainable Agriculture projects supported through Port Phillip Bay Fund
3 July 2017
The Port Phillip Bay Fund is a Victorian Government grants program that supports community groups and organisations to protect and preserve the environmental health of the bay.
The PPWCMA is excited to announce that two of our region’s farming groups have received over $50,000 in 2016-17 Round 1 funds to deliver two great projects.
The Balliang Food and Fibre Group has received $47850 to explore how they can optimise fertiliser application rates to reduce excess nutrient runoff into the bay. Eight farmers will participate in the project with each providing a focus paddock. The farmers will test their newly developed nutrient budgeting tool to determine and refine their fertiliser and seeding rates. After harvest, testing of residual nitrogen will be conducted to ensure the crops utilised all nitrogen applied, and therefore the accuracy of the tool.
Farming Moorabool receive $5661 to develop a range of curriculum-based activities to teach school students and the wider community about sustainable farm practices. As a community-based group of farmers, they have seen a need to develop create customised resources that dispel myths about farming practices and explain show sustainable agriculture is contributing towards healthy waterways.
These grants were received thanks to the support of our Regional Landcare Facilitator, Karen Thomas. The Regional Landcare Facilitator project is supported by the PPWCMA, through funding from the National Landcare Programme.