Brolgas take flight over the wetlands on the Cohuna farm owned by Jodie and Col Hay. Photo: Tim McGregor.
An ambitious project, largely driven by volunteer farmers, has been recognised by Landcare Australia as worthy of funding to the tune of $75,000.
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The Cohuna and District Landcare Group is one of only four Victorian projects to get funding under the Agriculture Biodiversity in Action scheme.
The $75,000 plus in-kind funding initiative is set to roll out across the Cohuna region from September 2025 to November 2028, and aims to reconnect farming practices with ecological restoration — proving that biodiversity is not just compatible with agriculture but critical to its resilience and success.
The project aims to bridge the gap between understanding biodiversity and applying it on-farm, transforming biodiversity from a perceived cost into a clear agricultural asset.
“We believe that thriving biodiversity and profitable agriculture go hand in hand,” project lead and Cohuna and District Landcare Group secretary Andy Jackman said.
“This project will prove that evidence-based actions can improve both ecological and economic outcomes — all while strengthening community ties to the land.”
The Landcare group has been reinvigorated recently, and the group now hopes to build on the foundational work of those who have gone before in the Cohuna and Leitchville areas.
Biodiversity in Bloom will establish six demonstration sites across a variety of farming operations, including cropping, dairy, grazing and mixed farming within the Torrumbarry Irrigation Region — a landscape of international environmental significance adjacent to Ramsar-listed wetlands, Gunbower Forest and the Murray River.
These on-ground trial sites will test and implement protective fencing, revegetation and direct seeding, and comprehensive biodiversity monitoring.
The project aims to bridge the gap between understanding biodiversity and applying it on-farm.
Photo by
Sophie Baldwin
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