The Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s Draft Open Space Strategy needs to widen its scope and include local roads outside town boundaries increasingly being used by residents for exercise and recreation.
Read MoreGreat farm ideas at 2012 Hamilton Sheepvention By Patrick Francis Ewe and lamb mothering-up pen Enthusiastic Barooga NSW
Read More
As peri-urban and regional town populations grow the increasing number of pedestrians and cyclists sharing default 100km/h roads outside built-up areas face serious injury and death unless Safe System Speeds are adopted by Federal, State and Territory transport departments.
Read More
Wildlife vehicle collision road hotspots are identified with insurance company claims data but is not used by state Transport Departments to assist in setting appropriate maximum speed limits on rural roads to reduce vehicle occupant casualties and their enormous health care costs.
Read More
With 176% lambs born, Moffitts Farm Wiltipoll ewes have demonstrated their exceptional resilience through one of the driest years.
Read MoreMoffitts Farm’s multi-disciplinary approach to livestock genetics, pasture species, agroforestry and biolinks adopted and progressively fine tuned since 2000 to
Read More
On 7 August 2025 all members of the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications were emailed a request to consider an inquiry into the adequacy of the Commonwealth of Australia’s Road Safety and Environment Protection policies, visions and regulations to cope with the biodiversity and human consequences of wildlife vehicle collisions.
Read MoreIn the seventh article in the series ‘Wildlife road kills versus Vision Zero 2050’ freelance journalist Patrick Francis examines wildlife
Read MoreFigure: The jurisdiction black hole for wildlife vehicle collision between Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2024 – 2030 and the Safe
Read MoreIn this sixth article in the series ‘Wildlife road kills versus Vision Zero 2050’, freelance journalist Patrick Francis examines what
Read MoreIn the fifth article in the series ‘Wildlife road kills versus Vision Zero 2050’ Patrick Francis explores existing initiatives which provide transport departments with an avenue for including wildlife in road crash risk assessment.
Read MoreIn the fourth article in his wildife road kills series Patrick Francis questions why Safe System principles ignore rural road pedestrians safety as well as wildlife vehicle collisions.
Read MorePatrick Francis interrogates the road crash statistics generated by numerous federal and state government departments for clues to why millions of wildlife become road kill each year.
Read MorePatrick Francis reviews the published evidence behind the disconnect between Australian drivers attitude to maximum speed limits and the messages behind tens of thousands of wildlife warning signs installed across regional, rural and remote road networks.
Read MorePatrick Francis examines why there are tens of thousands of yellow wildlife warning signs along Australia’s rural and regional  roads but no guidance to drivers from state transport and environment departments about what speed should be embraced to prevent vehicle wildlife collisions, vehicle occupant casualties and road kills.
Read More
Implementing disincentives for tourists to travel overseas may be the only way developed countries can reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions and meet the net zero 2050 target.
Read More
World Resources Institute challenges regenerative agriculture advocates claims about soil carbon as a major offset for agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
Read More
The Nature Repair Market is likely to become available to farmers across Australia in 2025 but its operator the Clean Energy Regulator needs to ensure its unintended consequences are recognised and managed.
Read MoreBy Damian Lettoof, Chris J Jolly, Timothy N.W. Jackson; For people in southeast Australia, springtime means soaking up the sun
Read More
Shock cord looks a likely replacement for leather as sheep collars carrying each ewe’s easy to read management tag.
Read More
Variable autumn winter rain opens opportunities for pasture renovation while wildlife road kills continue due to lack of interest in lowering the default 100km per hour speed limit through the Moffats lane wildlife hotspot.
Read More
Despite the red meat industry having a carbon neutral 2030 policy a study into meat processor attitudes found the sector does not see value in product-level greenhouse gas emissions credentialling for consumers.
Read More
Adopting management to support and increase soil carbon on a continuous basis is vital for supporting a multitude of ecosystem functions but does not guarantee soil carbon increases are permanent.
Read More
Flying is an example of greenhouse gas emissions activity that will not achieve net zero by 2050. It’s emissions are likely to increase over the next 20 years. Terrestial CO2 abatement is not a long-term solution as the farm land it takes place on is needed for food production and to support the planet’s ecosystem functions.
Read MoreA comparison of two councils climate emergency plans one with emission reduction targets, the other without them.
Read More
Diversified clover herb ryegrass pastures need specific management to maintain composition, livestock performance and lower methane emissions.
Read MoreBy Patrick Francis In October 2023 the Macedon Ranges Shire Council requested submissions about its Draft Climate Emergency Plan 2023
Read MoreWinter spring 2023 has produced exciting results with wildlife, pastures and Wiltipoll flock performance.
Read MoreThe Macedon Ranges Shire Council had an opportunity to give its residents an enlightened road safety plan to enhance living in a rural setting and interacting with nature. Instead its plan continues to prioritise driver convenience above public and wildlife safety on rural roads close to shire towns.
Read MoreEmission Reduction Fund soil carbon projects are proliferating on Australian farms despite warnings from scientists they are not providing permanent carbon abatement.
Read More
If re-written with a vision to embrace solutions to lower greenhouse gas emissions, abate carbon dioxide, use nature to address the Climate and Biodiversity emergencies, and encourage local food production, the Romsey Structure Plan would provide a blue print for sustainable development within town boundaries across the shire and give resident families the life styles they move to the shire to experience.
Read MoreA farming system in which inadequate nutrients limit crop/pasture productivity, microbial activity and maintenance of SOM clearly requires a paradigm shift.
Read MoreEvidence is mounting that multi-species pasture gives a lift to ruminant livestock productivity per hectare compared with monoculture pasture while at the same time increasing paddock ecosystem services and reducing methane emissions per kg of carcase weight.
Read MoreWildlife rescues and road kills increasing as vehicle drivers maximum speed limit remains unaltered in wildlife hot spots.
Read More
Draft Local Community Laws 2023 seem to ignore impacts to residents and visitors of inappropriate driver speed on minor rural roads, local light planes, and inadequate weed and feral animal control.
Read More
The results of the Page Witts survey indicates that amongst farmers themselves what their methods are called means very little, it is the direction they are heading and outcomes achieved in conjunction with nature that is important.
Read More
New UK research shows farmers are not only willing to set aside parts of their land for nature, but that incentivizing them to do so will cost less than current financial incentives.
Read More
