Jodie Hay is a firm believer irrigation is dual-purpose water and can support agriculture and biodiversity on-farm.
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She is establishing two wetlands on her dairy farm on the outskirts of Cohuna, an opportunity she says is only possible with a regulated and viable irrigation system.
“Irrigation is now a relatively small user of the total volume of water available in the Murray-Darling Basin and yet our potential to support on-farm environmental outcomes is huge, considering over 93 per cent of wetlands in the basin exist on privately-owned land,” Jodie said.
In 2021, Jodie and her husband Col purchased a 539ha property adjacent to their operation when their son Tom returned home to the family farm. It was a former corporate dairy farm and had been partially disconnected from the irrigation system.
In 2022 it flooded, which gave them the opportunity to get a really good look at how water actually flowed across it.
“There was a natural depression which filled and after observing the birdlife and vegetation that occurred during and after the flood, I thought it would be a perfect spot to turn into a wetland,” Jodie said.
“I invited the Murray Darling Working Wetlands Group out to have a look around and we ended up with two sites.”
She said the group was very excited about the potential of re-establishing the wetlands, particularly wetland two.
“That depression was empty at the time but they were very taken by the site because it was a remnant wetland that hadn’t been modified apart from drainage, and was still in its natural state — something that is unusual for our area,” Jodie said.
“It doesn’t look much now but we will fence it off, put some water in and manage it as a treeless wetland.
“The working group think it will be a perfect place to attract brolgas who have been sighted on neighbouring properties.”
Wetland one is about 2ha in size and wetland two is about 4ha.
“We fenced off wetland one in 2023 and planted 300 trees, the majority of which have taken off,” Jodie said.
“It has been really good to see the progress of the wetland as it slowly comes back to life. We now have some aquatic plants and sedges growing around the edges and you can see the natural grasses starting to revegetate.
“The birds love it and we have seen pelicans, swans, ducks, white-faced egrets, grebes, spoonbills, chats, swallows, dotterels and stilts on the wetland at different times of the year.
“Field and Game came out and installed some hen houses on the wetland and some parrot nesting boxes in the neighbouring trees and they are going to monitor them, although the swallows have already moved in.”
Reconnecting the farm to the irrigation system enabled an environmental flow to be delivered to wetland one in autumn this year.
Wetland two can receive water now too.
They will let the water level in wetland one draw down naturally over time. Wetland two will receive water under the guidance of the group.
“It will ebb and flow with the seasons but we are expecting it to provide an excellent refuge in drought years because it can hold water for a long time,” Jodie said.
Controlling vermin and feral animals is also a priority.
“We regularly let people in for vermin control. It is part of the management story and complements what we are doing with the wetland,” Jodie said.
She said working alongside the Murray Darling Wetland Working Group, which offers knowledgeable commonsense water management, had been a pleasure.
“I love that they understand the importance of landowners in environmental recovery.
“An irrigated grazing dairy enterprise has scope to exist alongside environmental opportunity — biodiversity and primary production can co-exist, in fact it is essential it does because we have the ability to feed the world and I won’t be shamed by that.”
The wetland will be supported by existing and additional tree plantations and Jodie said it was amazing to see the regrowth that had occurred in the disconnected irrigation channels surrounding the property.
“I have always loved the bush and planting trees and to see this type of regeneration on our own farm is so rewarding.”
The Hay family milks 430 split-calving cows across 1092ha, either owned or leased.
“The original purpose of purchasing the [539 hectares] was to increase our home-grown capacity and build up a feed bank to navigate an uncertain water market and any dry seasons,” Jodie said.
After buying the property it was flooded in 2022, a freak tornado took out their wheat, oat and maize crop in 2023 and, despite a summer flood in the same year, they finally got a harvest in 2023.
“We have been able to sell some excess fodder to surrounding farmers over the past couple of months,” Jodie said.
“That’s the beauty of irrigation, it offers security and enables us to produce fodder and staple foods to feed the country whilst also providing habitat for native flora and fauna.”
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