Regenerative Agriculture Small Grants Program

Roslyn and Kevin Mulcahy grow macadamias on their 15-hectare orchard at Myocum, just 15 km from the heart of Byron Bay.

Sustainability and resilience are a key focus. Their holistic farm plan guides their work:

• Goal of 100% ground cover on the orchard floor
• Managing tree height with careful pruning
• Improving soil health to help water infiltration and nutrient availability

• Using natural pest control methods.

Support from the Regenerative Agriculture Small Grants Program

The Regenerative Agriculture Small Grants Program helped to fund:

• Mass releases of 3 commercially available biocontrol agents
• Planting multispecies cover crops

Green Lacewings

Green Lacewings Mallada signata are predators that feed on macadamia pests such as:

• moth eggs
• aphids
• scales
• thrips
• mites
• lace bug and felted coccid.

The Mulcahy’s targeted hotspots with monthly releases of adult lacewings.

Adult lacewings were preferred as they go straight into all areas of the tree where food is available.

Anastatus wasps

Anastatus wasps target fruit-spotting bug eggs. Eggs are placed in hotspots every 3 weeks.

Once hatched, the wasps lay into fruit-spotting bug eggs, interrupting their lifecycle. No broad-spectrum insecticides are used to ensure beneficial insects such as wasps, spiders and assassin bugs are preserved.

MacTrix wasps

MacTrix wasps are released on small cardboard strips during shell hardening stage of nut production from November to February.

This tiny wasp is the main control measure for macadamia nutborer. Ros uses this time to get out into the orchard and make observations that guide management decisions. 

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Cover cropping and groundcover

Once harvest slows, Ros and Kevin plant multi-species cover-crops in the interrow of the 10-meter tree rows

Ground cover species include

• Brassica
• Clover
• Vetch
• Chicory
• Plantain.

Farmers Friends and other weeds also grow, adding diversity to the system.

Groundcover under the trees includes

• Dichondra
• White clover
• Herb species
• Other soft grasses.

Regular mowing before harvest supresses undesirable grasses such as Seteria grass. 

The goal is to have 100% groundcover, 100% of the time. This protects the soil from damaging rainfall that could cause erosion of topsoil.

Riki and Maddie Eketone run a small cow-calf operation of Nguni.

Since purchasing Yankee Creek Farm, in early 2024, they have set out to redesign it from an open 10-hectare paddock, into a number of smaller paddocks.

They have been guided by a clear holistic farm plan that aims to:

• Improve soil function
• Increase biodiversity
• Provide long-term positive impact on the local catchment. 

Low tech and low-cost paddock infrastructure improvements

The Regenerative Agriculture Small Grant funding allowed them to buy irrigation materials and a new pump capable of servicing all water points.

Installing flexible watering points to a mobile trough has allowed the rotational grazing plan. Cattle are generally rotated daily. They flow through the ultra-high stock density paddocks. This equates to around a 200 tonne herd per hectare.

Riki stresses the need to make accurate calculations for correct pipe diameter and pump size.

"The ability to have a portable trough with flexible water points has given us more control over our grazing herd. Higher animal impact and longer amounts of rest and recovery. MORE FEED, DEEPER ROOTS, BETTER SOILS. We are grateful for the financial support to achieve our goals" Riki Eketone, Yankee Creek Farm

Extra electric fencing now prevents cattle from accessing the riparian area of Mullumbimby Creek. Targeted tree planting also helps to regenerate sensitive areas. 

The infrastructure will also allow Riki and Maddie to diversify into pastured chickens and potentially other small crops.

The most important step in their farm plan is having a functional water cycle and improving the lands capacity for production.

They are also monitoring soil improvements through a soil monitoring app. The app benchmarks regenerative indicators such as:

• Infiltration
• Worm count
• Brix measurement
• Soil carbon stocks.

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The Paddock Project is a social enterprise that provides practical, educational, and life skills for regenerative living.

Working with Living Earth Biology, the team tested natural compost treatments in their market garden to see how they affect soil and plant health.

What they did

Compost extracts were applied at three key growth stages:

• Seed sowing
• Transplanting
• As a foliar spray during plant establishment. 

Results

Despite significant flooding and waterlogging at the trial site, there were no harmful microbes or diseases in the soil. This demonstrates the effective systems The Paddock Project already had in place.

The compost treated areas showed a 16% increase in biological activity compared to the control site. This is important because it:

• Improves how nutrients move through the soil 
• Improves plant growth
• Helps stop disease from spreading.

Using compost treatments at seed sowing also resulted in a 16% increase in biological activity. This highlights the value of starting early for long-term soil health.

Stronger roots

The project looked at the roots of both treated and control seedlings.

Even though The Paddock Project already grows strong seedlings, the compost treatments resulted in significantly stronger and more developed roots.  

The trial showed that root systems can be strengthened to support plant health. 

Healthier roots help plants to access water and nutrients from the soil, leading to increased plant vitality and resilience.

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Tips for market gardeners

John Bond from Living Earth Biology said that one of the best ways to increase soil health is to use the compost sprays before laying heavy mulch. 

This worked well at The Paddock as there are more people to help with garden bed-flipping. It can also be guided by Rodrigo Pierini, the farm director. 

This trial showed them that even in a well-established system, using compost extract treatments resulted in stronger and more developed root volumes. 

Every farm is different and it's important to find the most effective method for each one.

At Living Earth Biology, the goal is to educate and implement treatments in a way that works for each farm.