It’s rare to find a good news story these days, it seems.  But the story of seed is right under our noses, full of hope and happens year in, year out.  A story of regeneration, growth, colour, food, medicine, shade – you name it.  Without plants and plant diversity, our terrestrial world wouldn’t function, right from the miraculous photosynthesis – sugar and oxygen from carbon and sunlight.  A miracle in every leaf.

As predicted, demand for seed has skyrocketed this year for large-scale revegetation and carbon offset projects.  Also, as predicted, the seedbank coffers around the state are running low, with the readily grown wattles and eucalypts in high demand.  Revegetation works are grinding down – there’s not enough seed to go around.

Thanks to you all, the support of Natural Resources and Conservation Trust, Taungurung Land and Waters Council, Goulburn Valley Water and Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, we have been a step ahead.  Mim and her bush crew team have been transforming 12 hectares at Avenel into a sea of plant guards.  Golden, Gold dust, Mallee and Bent leaf Wattle have been planted on mass, as have some of our common daisies and Austral Indigo – 6000 plants in all so far. 

The 40 daisy boxes at the Arb are overflowing with plants.  Thirteen tricky-to-harvest daisies and groundcover species are flourishing.  In addition, our 3 intensive, irrigated, matted orchard for peas that pop (and are therefore very tricky to catch their seed) are almost complete.  It’s gloriously colourful at the Arb, and we are tired but satisfied with our labours.  I hope that you feel equally proud if you have been contributing too.

Plans for next year are progressing with a grant submission to DEECA to expand our seed orchards still further.  We are aiming to plant another 32.5 hectares across 4 sites, working alongside Goulburn Valley Water, Goulburn Broken CMA, Taungurung and Yorta Yorta First Peoples.  With an expectation of increasing our seed haul by approximately 400 kg of seed annually (up from the current 120 – 210kg per year), we need somewhere to store it, so we also have plans for a new, purpose-built shed.

This is all great news for securing our seed supply and reducing pressure on wild harvest.  So a little celebration and acknowledgement has been occurring in Euroa over the last few weeks.  The wonderful Orb Weavers – Marita and Stuart- visited in September and treated us to their fabulous music and stories.  Currently, we have a gallery display at Sheila Inc in Euroa, celebrating the delight of seed with some of our local artists – come and visit before the exhibition closes at the end of October.  I’ve had a chat with Sally Sara on Radio National Breakfast this week, and Emily, Mim and I recently attended a seed conference in Horsham.  It served to highlight our little Arb is playing an important role and is shining a light through our partnerships with Traditional Owners and ethical seed collection and supply on new ways to conduct a business.

Thank you so much to the wonderful community who support us, buy our plants, help in the nursery or seedbank or in their own wild patch and love our beautiful part of the world as much as we do.  Keep in your hearts that if we love and nurture our natural world, she loves us back. 

Cathy Olive
Development Manager