Greater Bendigo landowners are encouraged to sign up for the upcoming Healthy Landscapes Holistic Grazing Management short course now taking applications until July 28, for the next group of students.
This affordable course is delivered through the Healthy Landscapes program which is a collaboration between the City of Greater Bendigo, Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Hepburn Shire Council, Mount Alexander Shire Council, North Central Catchment Management Authority, Coliban Water and Melbourne Water.
City of Greater Bendigo Climate Change and Environment Manager Michelle Wyatt said it is a great opportunity for local farmers to be guided on how to implement sustainable land management practices on their properties using grazing animals.
"They will learn how holistic grazing can be used to support diverse, native pastures, healthy animals and productive farms and put these learnings into practice on their own property," Ms Wyatt said.
"The Healthy Landscapes program won the Premier's Choice Regional Recognition Award at the Premier's Sustainability Awards in 2021, and more recently received a High Commendation in the Sustainability Initiative category of the 2024 LGPro Awards for Excellence.
"Previous participants have told us that the course has given them the confidence to implement the things they learned because there is a network of people doing similar things who they can troubleshoot with and learn from.
"They have said it's a great way to meet local farmers and rural landholders who are also interested in improving their properties. It is a great community! The content is appropriate for a broad range of farmers and it helps landholders identify low-cost ways to start improving the health of their pastures and broader farm.
"The cost of the course is $150 per farming property and includes discussions and six visits to various farms, a visit to the participants property to develop a plan, plus online tutorials between August 2, 2024 to May 16, 2025. The course is open to landholders across the four municipalities participating in the Healthy Landscapes program, including landholders in Greater Bendigo."
Applications close Sunday July 28, 2024.
