30 November 2023

2024 calendar available now!

Our 2024 Sustainable Farms calendar features stunning images of the remarkable biodiversity that can be found at farm farms. It also highlights the important role that these critters play in these special ecosystems and the benefits for sustainable agricultural production.

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01 November 2022

The future of farming and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes

Shared values presenting collaborative opportunities for the Muttama Creek Catchment Area.

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26 October 2022

Sustainable Farms wins NSW Sustainability Award

The Sustainable Farms team from The Australian National University has been named the Biodiversity Award Winner for the NSW Sustainability Awards 2022.

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24 October 2022

2023 calendar available now!

Our 2023 Sustainable Farms calendar features stunning images of the woodland flora and fauna that is found on farms.

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01 September 2022

Bird protection tool nets Sustainable Farms a Eureka Prize

The Sustainable Farms team from The Australian National University has taken out one of the country’s top science prizes for our work on a powerful tool that helps farmers predict how what they do on their farms could impact different bird species.

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04 August 2022

Bombay Field Day on the benefits of biodiversity on farms

Corben Hart and Erin Brinkley from Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council wrote this article about a recent field day held in collaboration with Sustainable Farms.

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Ecologist using tablet in the field

28 July 2022

Bird prediction tool takes flight in national science prizes

The Sustainable Farms team, creators of a powerful tool that helps farmers identify management actions that could support threatened birds on their properties, is in the running for Australia’s top science prize, the Eureka Prize.

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27 May 2022

Collaborative research finds fencing farm dams halves methane emissions

Studies undertaken by Deakin’s Blue Carbon Lab on Sustainable Farms farm dam sites in north east Victoria and NSW reveal that dam enhancement leads to reduced greenhouse gas emissions

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16 May 2022

Farmer-facing webtool receives National Trust Heritage Commendation

BirdCast, a webtool created by the Sustainable Farms project enabling land managers to estimate the birds present in woodlands on their farms and thus helping protect Australia’s precious biodiversity, has received a Highly Commended in the 2022 National Trust Heritage Awards.

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20 April 2022

New research highlights wellbeing impacts of natural asset management

A new publication arising from Sustainable Farms mental health research demonstrates the potential positive benefits to farmers’ lives of engaging in natural resource management (NRM) practices.

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11 March 2022

Making Australian Agriculture Sustainable – conference

Michelle Young, Director of Sustainable Farms, will make the case for protecting and restoring natural assets on farms at the Fenner Conference on Environment – Making Australian Agriculture Sustainable – next week in Canberra.

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03 March 2022

Newly published: Natural Asset Farming

We’re delighted to announce the publication of our new book, Natural Asset Farming. The book provides practical guidance on enhancing seven natural assets on farms, bringing together the stories and experiences of farmers with the results of extensive on-farm research undertaken by Sustainable Farms.

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14 December 2021

BirdCast webtool launches

New webtool enables land managers to estimate the birds present in woodlands on farms.

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13 December 2021

2022 calendar out now!

Our 2022 Sustainable Farms calendar features stunning images of woodland landscapes and wildlife. The calendar also provides insights from our research on the management of natural assets on farms.

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22 September 2021

Benefit-cost analysis lends support for improved farm dam management

New Sustainable Farms research looking at the potential net benefits from enhancing farm dams has yielded promising results.

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13 August 2021

New planting guide for enhancing farm dams

Sustainable Farms is delighted to launch the new resource, Enhancing farm dams: What to plant in and around your dam.

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24 May 2021

The Bird Checker app: estimate bird occupancy on farms

Ever wondered which birds might live on your farm? The Sustainable Farms webtool, Bird Checker: A bird occupancy estimator, enables the user to estimate which birds are likely to be found on a farm in the box-gum grassy woodlands.

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31 March 2021

Sustainable Farms Research Results Workshops

In May-June, Sustainable Farms will hold three Research Results Workshops across the project area. Researchers from ecology, mental health and economics will share latest research results to help support practice change on farms in the temperate eucalypt woodlands.

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15 December 2020

2021 calendar – hot off the press!

Each year we create a calendar highlighting nature on farms. For this year’s calendar we asked farmers in our project area to share a photo and story about their favourite tree.

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22 October 2020

Sustainable farm financing: discussion summary

In an era of climatic uncertainty and increasing droughts, farm improvement projects that restore degraded land, enhance natural assets and improve drought resilience are becoming ever more important. However, sustainable funding of these projects presents a challenge that requires novel solutions.

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10 September 2020

Passing the baton in the ecology team

This week our senior field ecologist, Dr Mason Crane (pictured above checking a nest box), leaves us to join the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, marking the end of an era and passing the baton to a new team of field staff for Sustainable Farms.

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08 September 2020

Ten ways to improve the natural assets on a farm

Sustainable Farms is delighted to launch our new booklet, Ten ways to improve the natural assets on a farm. The booklet highlights ten discrete projects that farmers can undertake to improve the health of natural assets – such as dams, shelterbelts or riparian areas – on their properties.

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08 September 2020

Towards healthy farms, healthy farmers and healthy profits

One small change on a farm could create new habitat for native animals and lead to increased stock productivity. That’s the message of a new publication launched this week by The Australian National University’s Sustainable Farms project.

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12 August 2020

Farmers favourite tree challenge

Is there a big tree on your property that’s special to you? If so, we’d love you to participate in our “farmer’s favourite tree challenge 2021”.

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16 July 2020

Investing in healthy farms for the future

Research by Professors Bruce Chapman and David Lindenmayer, Research Directors of Sustainable Farms at The Australian National University, has identified a new way of financing farm improvement investments that minimises the financial risk and accompanying stress that often comes with the use of traditional bank loans.

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12 November 2019

Now is the time to invest in natural assets for drought resilience

The Morrison Government’s new drought policy announced last week is big news in agricultural circles and has sparked debate about the best way to support farmers through what many are describing as the toughest drought they’ve encountered.

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09 April 2019

ANU Sustainable Farms funded to measure the benefits of improving farm dams

Sustainable Farms have been given $5.93 million in Australian Government funding to measure the benefits of improving farm dams. For the first time, researchers will be able to quantify the gains made in biodiversity, productivity and wellbeing when farmers improve their dams. Professor David Lindenmayer said, “You’d be hard pressed to find a better investment for a farm than making small improvements to their dams.”

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19 November 2018

Sustainable farming in the face of climate change

Professor David Lindenmayer has had a busy month…

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12 October 2018

Generous gift of land for Sustainable Farms

Kent Keith recently made a gift of land to help improve farming communities.

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26 September 2018

Another first for Sustainable Farms long-term monitoring

The Greater Murray Biodiversity Monitoring Program  has been running for more than a decade, and it is always exciting when new native species are found. During this winter’s bird surveys, one of our Sustainable Farms ecologists was thrilled to discover the threatened Southern Bell Frog, also known as the Growling Grass Frog, while randomly checking under […]

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20 September 2018

Winter Bird Surveys 2018

Our team of field ecologists has been conducting regular wildlife surveys at the same sites in the woodland ecosystems west and northwest of Canberra for nearly 20 years.

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03 August 2018

Researchers collaborate to help Australian farmers

Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) will play an important role in a five-year initiative that aims to improve environmental, economic and social outcomes in rural Australia by helping farmers better manage their natural assets.

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