Dam good water levels the aim of new farming project

A new five-year, $4m project is aiming to improve dam management across Tasmania.

Run by Landcare Tasmania, the federal government has contributed $3.67m as part of its Future Drought Fund’s Resilient Landscapes Program to the organisation’s Catchment Connect program.

Logie Farm at Orielton, a location that experiences below-average rainfall compared to the rest of Tasmania, is one of the properties participating in the program.

The property has 500 breeding ewes across its 320 hectares, with farm manager Lachlan Van Balen bracing for what could potentially be a dry summer.

“The water in the Coal River Valley has the most extreme differences in dam levels I’ve ever seen in my life,” Mr Van Balen said.

“I’ve spent time in the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Queensland – all over the place – and this is the most extreme fluctuations I’ve seen in weather conditions anywhere.”

Mr Van Balen said having enough stock feed was his biggest concern leading into the warmer months and dam levels were crucial to that.

“We don’t like to put too many outside resources into our system.

“We like to grass finish our animals where we can or finish with improved pastures.

“The drier it is, the less grass we have and the harder it is to finish lambs.”

The dam at Logie Farm was also prone to water evaporation.

“Also, because there’s so much area around the bank, it’s susceptible to lots of compaction from stock grazing around the edges,” Mr Van Balen said.

“We’ve eliminated that by fencing it off and having a couple of strategic stock access points which allow enough sheep to get in a drink abreast if they’re really thirsty.”

Agricultural Minister and Franklin Federal MP Julie Collins said the funding delivered to Landcare Tasmania was part of the government’s more than $2 billion worth of investments for farmers across the country facing climate change challenges.

“Water management is a key part of drought resilience across Tasmania, which is why I’m so pleased to be launching this project,” Ms Collins said.

“Dam management in particular can play a significant role in reducing emissions, particularly methane, from the water.

“Most importantly, this is another means of restoring and regenerating the land.

“This is another way the Albanese Labor Government is supporting Tasmania’s farmers to build their climate resilience to ensure they continue producing the products we all love and rely on.”