A group representing Central West Lachlan Landcare attended the biannual NSW Landcare and Local Land Services Conference held in Albury this week.

This is an opportunity for Landcarers from over the State to gather and learn more about issues impacting agriculture, biodiversity, water and culture. The conference started with the Landcare Muster, reviewing what Landcare has achieved over the past two years.

The first Key Note Speaker was Dr Karl Kruszelnicki who is currently the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow at Sydney University, where his mission is to spread the good word about science and its benefits. As expected, Dr Karl was very entertaining. His enthusiasm for science was very infectious.

The second Key Note Speaker was Stan Grant Junior who has a long professional history that has blended media with politics. Stan is the Indigenous Affairs Editor for the ABC and special advisor to the Prime Minister on Indigenous constitutional recognition.

Day two ran concurrent sessions, including field trips, covering Aboriginal Landcare, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and water. Field trips included the Hume reservoir, being the main storage for the Murray River System and the afternoon discussion revolved around water issues impacting river systems.

The sustainable agriculture field trip included a trip to Woomargama Station showcasing a Slopes2Summit BushLinks project targeting threatened species infrastructure and farming landscapes.

This field trip also included a presentation on pasture legumes and their role in grazing and cropping

Guy Webb spoke about the Soil C Quest project and launched their crowdfunding campaign to assist with funds to undertake testing for a soil carbon inoculum capable of rapid and secure soil carbon sequestration into farming and improved pasture soils.

This is a landmark opportunity for the Central West being the base for the Soil C Quest project. There is no argument in most circles as to whether there is an issue with the increasing amount of carbon in our atmosphere and the impact that will have on our farming systems.