Celebrating healthy landscapes | Sunbury and Macedonia Ranges

The Municipality of Macedon Ranges invites residents with a passion for land management practices to celebrate and learn more about the council’s award-winning Healthy Landscapes program on May 24.

The event will take place at Kyneton Town Hall, where a panel of local farmers and land managers will share stories about their journey through the programme.

Since its launch in 2018, the program has delivered webinars to more than 2,000 participants, field days to more than 500 participants and enabled positive environmental change on approximately 4,000 hectares, the council said.

Rebecca Stockfeld, Council’s director of planning and environment, said the evening is an opportunity to celebrate the programme’s successes and connect with other local residents with similar land aspirations, share knowledge and promote collaboration.

“We have heard inspiring stories of positive changes as a result of the Healthy Landscapes program since its implementation,” she said.

“So we’re very pleased that the program is really helping rural landowners create a sustainable future.”

The program guides landowners in implementing sustainable land management practices and making their land healthier and more productive by using fewer resources and creating healthier soils and waterways.

It won the Premier’s Choice Regional Recognition Award in 2021 and was recently shortlisted as a finalist in the Sustainability Initiative category of the LGPro Awards for Excellence 2024.

Agribusiness veteran Stuart Grainger from Newham said the program was useful for his professional development.

“My company has probably spent over a million dollars on my professional development, Harvard and other world-renowned institutions and this is far better than anything I’ve ever done,” he said.

The evening starts at 6:30 PM and registration is required. Details: shorturl.at/GMNX1 or 5422 0333.