Published 20 January 2012

Dung beetle competition

With one more week of school holidays, it’s not too late to enter the Watershed Landcare Dung Beetle Competition.

Watershed Landcare is running a competition these holidays to see who can collect the most species of dung beetle from a single farm in the district. The competition is open to school kids of all ages who have access to a farm. Town and farm kids might like to team up for one farm and split the $100 cash prize.

To get started, head to the Watershed Landcare Dung Beetle web page and read the simple instructions on how to collect, package and post off dung beetles to a free identification service.

Mushroom Growing workshop

Milkwood Permaculture is hosting a two-day mushroom growing workshop with Polish-Aussie Mushroom expert Will Borowski, next weekend (28-29 January). With the ever-growing interest in locally grown, organic produce, learning how to grow mushrooms could open up micro-enterprise opportunities for farms, guesthouses or even urban farm businesses. According to Will, once you know how to do it, there is very little ongoing cost.

In the backyard, growing mushrooms is a great way to broaden your family’s home-grown nutrition, with a variety of mushrooms (and the things they grow on) providing important trace minerals. It’s also a fun activity to share with kids. For more information on the Mushroom Growing Workshop and to register, head to www.milkwoodpermaculture.com.au

Farm Planning Course

Don’t miss the boat. The next Farm Planning course, run by the Central West CMA and TAFE, will kick off in February. Whether you’re fourth generation or new to farming, developing a Farm Plan with the help of a consultant/trainer can help you to view your country and resources with a fresh perspective.

The 7-day course is run over a series of weeks with dates determined by participants. Cost to participants is only $225, with the remainder sponsored by the Central West CMA.

To find out more go to the Central West CMA’s website http://cw.cma.nsw.gov.au scroll down to the bottom and click on “our incentives”. Or call the Mudgee CMA office on 6372 4044.