Projects and programs

Lower Shoalhaven River floodplain flood refuge mounds

The Flood Refuge Mounds Program is helping eligible farmers prepare for and reduce the impact of future flooding events in the Lower Shoalhaven River floodplain are by offering free professional design and mapping of potential flood refuge mounds on your property to support your Development Application.

Find out more about the Flood Refuge Mounds Program.

Farm water series

Our team have created a short video series covering off the considerations when implementing farm water systems. Find out about dam construction, budgeting, storage option, maintenance and more!

Find out more about the Farm water series.

Illawarra Feral Deer Management Program

The Illawarra Feral Deer Management Program is a collaborative effort between South East Local Land Services, Local Government and a number of other public and private land managers working together to control the deer population in the Illawarra.

Read more about the Illawarra Feral Deer Management Program.

Feral Fighters

Invasive species have no place in our landscape. The ability and responsibility to manage feral animals rest with every land manager. Feral Fighters is an initiative to strategically target pest animals at a regional and state scale through strategic, coordinated group baiting control programs.

Find out more about Feral Fighters.

Rural Landscape Program

The Rural Landscape Program is a joint initiative between South East Local Land Services and WaterNSW (formerly Sydney Catchment Authority).The program is aimed at protecting and improving water quality within targeted Sydney drinking water catchment areas. This is achieved by providing funding assistance to landholders for a range of land and water management practices.

Read more about the Rural Landscape Program.

South East Farmers' Network

Across the South East region a number of Farmers' Networks have been established to engage, connect and build the skills and capacity of all landholders in better land management. Join your local Network today and get connected with the latest news, events, funding and online opportunities within your local and regional area. It’s free, fun and a great way to meet like-minded farmers in your backyard.

Find out more about the South East Farmers' Network.

Save our Scarlet robin

South East Local Land Services has received financial support from the NSW Government via the Environmental Trust, Saving Our Species and Catchment Action NSW Programs to implement a long term project with the vision of “Local Community Action towards the Recognition and Protection of the scarlet robin and its’ habitat”.

Over the next ten years, the project will provide opportunities for local landholders including attending a range of awareness raising events that will provide practical information on actions that individuals can take to improve habitat for and monitor local woodland bird populations. These events will be organised by our project partners including K2C, Molonglo Catchment Group and Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council.

Read more about the Save our Scarlet robin project.

Catchment Action NSW

The Catchment Action NSW program provided funds to land managers to undertake environmental works on their properties. The works carried out provided a private benefit to the land managers and their enterprises, and a broader public benefit in the form of more connected and sustainable landscapes.

Read more about Catchment Action NSW.

Alternative fertilisers field research project

This producer-initiated field-research project was a collaboration between Binalong Landcare, NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and South East Local Land Services. With the fluctuating cost of conventional fertilizers and concerns around environmental and long-term sustainability, producers were interested in comparing the performance of alternative fertilizers.

They were particularly interested in knowing whether alternative fertilisers could in fact boost production in a cost effective way. Many alternative fertilizer products are marketed using anecdotal claims around their effectiveness so this project set out to validate product performance using a scientific approach. All products trialled were compared to both a nil control and single superphosphate treatment.

Find out more about the Alternative fertilisers field research project.

Laggan grazing demonstration

This on-farm demonstration began in January 2015. Shannon Arnall had purchased a new block of ‘native’ country that hadn’t received  fertiliser for over 13 years and was keen to increase profitability from the existing pasture in the most cost-effective way.

A simple nutrient trial showed that phosphorus (P) was the major nutrient limiting pasture  growth. This was not surprising given the history of the paddock, however the question then became: does it still pay to put fertiliser out in a wool operation?

Read more about the Laggan grazing demonstration.

Merino weaner monitoring trial

Weaner losses in both Merino and cross-bred flocks are highly variable and can cause significant financial loss. Management not only plays a critical role in minimising losses, but it also determines the financial return from young stock.

Weaner survival is a function of BOTH weaning weight and post weaning growth rate. Animals that fail to gain weight post-weaning become vulnerable and are prone to dying. Adequate nutrition is also needed to ensure weaners continue to grow and meet liveweight targets for joining.

A weaner monitoring project was established at 'Hillcrest', Gunning. The main purpose of the project was to benchmark weaner performance and provide a reference point for sheep producers across the Southern Tablelands.

Read more about the Merino weaner monitoring trial.