A quick guide to the Case Study and Testimonial farms

The Land, Water & Wool Northern Tablelands Project (NSW) aims to raise awareness of the importance and value of biodiversity to the wool industry, demonstrate the many ways in which biodiversity drives profitable production on New England wool properties, and show how wool properties can protect valuable biodiversity. To do this, a wide range of southern New England wool properties have been profiled as Case Studies and Testimonials. The Case Studies and Testimonials deliberately target a wide range of farm sizes, soil types, enterprise mixes, grazing systems, levels of input and family histories for two reasons: 1. to identify as complete a set of management practices that enhance biodiversity and wool profits, as possible; 2. to demonstrate that biodiversity is essential to wool production in every circumstance. The result was three detailed Case Studies on 'The Hill', 'Lana' and 'Nant Lodge'. These three Case Studies were diverse in themselves, targeting different soil types (metasediments or 'trap', granite, basalt), scale of operation, levels of input, grazing system and family history. The seven Testimonials ('Blaxland', 'Woodville East', 'Wilson's Creek', 'Willow Park', 'Ponds Creek', 'Pint Pot' and 'Swallowfield') were shorter and designed to add value to the Case Studies, while further illustrating the wide range of properties where woolgrowers have consciously developed biodiverse production systems. The project identified 41 ways in which New England woolgrowers enhance biodiversity on their farms.