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Andrew Nichols, “Redbanks”,
TAS
Andrew and Carolyn Nichols have been
farming in North West Tasmania for over 20 years, with their “Redbanks” farm
a fine example of a sustainable, environmentally friendly and
profitable enterprise. “Redbanks” is a farm of 380 hectares
with almost a third devoted to natural bush, wetlands and revegetation
areas.
The farm combines its natural assets with
diversified and rotational land usage, from poultry to cropping,
beef cattle production, farm forestry products and a fine
foods line, “Naturally Nichols”. North West Tasmania has
been heavily cleared and erosion and water quality are priority
issues in the region.
Since Andrew adopted a Nature Conservation
Management Plan for the farm in 1998, he has put in place
a number of initiatives that have improved crop yield. Some
of these include manure application from intensive livestock,
use of cover crops on bare ground during Tasmania’s wet winters,
best practice cropping rotation, mulch rip lines and a farm
policy of only tilling flat ground.
The steeper areas on “Redbanks” have been
put into plantations or revegetated with native species to
create wildlife corridors between remnant vegetation. Nearly
all creeks and waterways have been fenced and revegetated
with local species. This bushland contains some of the most
pristine, high priority remnant forest in the region including
white gum forests, blackwood forest and valuable old habitat
trees. The farm also hosts a family of wedge tailed eagles,
the threatened fresh water lobster and burrowing crayfish.
Most importantly, Andrew has educated
those around him that “landcare values are not against production
values” by showing very clearly that the two can operate
in harmony with great success. |
Andrew
and Carolyn Nichols
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