An event highlighting the industry’s commitment to providing a positive legacy for Upper Hunter communities post-mining has been praised by those in attendance.
The recent Pasture Restoration Field Day brought agronomists, government, community and sector stakeholders together for a chance to share knowledge and witness mine rehabilitation first-hand.
It also offered a unique opportunity to visit areas, like the Liddell and Rix’s Creek operations, which have undergone renovation to pastureland.
The Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue (UHMD)-staged event included representatives from the Singleton Beef and Land Management Association, NSW Farmers Association, Local Land Services NSW, Singleton Council, Muswellbrook Shire Council, NSW Resources Regulator, and NSW Department of Planning & Environment, too.
The idea for a combined briefing/discussion and field day came from Jeff Esdaile, a resident on the UHMD Joint Environment Working Group, and a published ACARP research project, which examined past and present mine rehabilitation to grazing land as a guide to future study.
“Hunter Valley mining rehab staff now have access to the latest trends to establish and maintain first class pastures on land,” he said.
“Hopefully, the exchange of ideas and experiences will continue to be a feature in the program, sharing ideas and learning from each other’s successes and failures.”
Bloomfield Group environment manager Chris Knight said the company was proud of its rehabilitation efforts.
“It was wonderful to host such a broad range of important stakeholders to show that functional and sustainable grazing areas can be achieved creating a productive post-mining land use,” he explained.
“The cattle that graze on our site [today] are testament to the amazing pastures we have created using tropical grasses and ameliorants such as biosolids.
“It showcases how important this post mining land use is for the future of the Upper Hunter.”
Experts including local agronomist Neil Nelson (Neil Nelson Agvice) and Bob Freebairn (Coonabrabran District Agronomist) imparted their valuable knowledge as well.
“Despite the dry seasonal conditions, it was evident the soil health is improving and supporting good pasture growth,” the former said.
“It is impressive how, with good planning, management and implementation, rehabilitation can produce pastures better than those originally growing in the disturbed areas.”
Dr Suzanne Boschma and Dr Sean Murphy from NSW Department of Primary Industries (Tamworth Agricultural Institute) saw the triumphs being achieved in pasture restoration, while offering their own experiences in developing sustainable systems in inland NSW.
The pair was impressed by the enthusiasm and efforts of the teams and the solutions they’ve been able to find to establish productive pastures on these challenging sites.
“The Field Day created a great opportunity for problem solvers from different industries to come together in a collaborative and mutually respective manner,” Dr Boschma said.
“We look forward to seeing many more restored pastures across former mine lands.”
Singleton Beef and Land Management Association secretary Jill Cox agreed.
“We all gained a positive insight into mine site restoration methods,” she said.
“And, we were quite impressed with the pasture and the fact that no one would know there had ever been a mine on the land.”
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