All prams blazing: farmer mums find new joy in landcare

As a mother, farmer and small business owner Christie de Mestre is used to juggling, but taking a toddler to farming events to reskill sometimes felt like an intrusion. So when the opportunity came to join a female-led "ladies on the land" group she signed up with all prams blazing. "It was great I could take my baby somewhere where it wasn't going to be an inconvenience," the mother of two said. "When you have a child you take the time off, and I swear to god, your brain shrinks and ... it's good to just keep your toe in," Ms de Mestre told AAP. The family-friendly environment of the women-only Landcare group meant that while she got on with it, her youngster was often cared for by other attendees. "Some of the stuff I already knew, but it's just a refresher, so it's just motivating and it re-enthuses you." The group was started by long-term Landcare volunteer Louise Hufton who noticed women weren't turning up to events run by the local Harden Murrumburrah group, in the Hilltops Region in the NSW South West Slopes. "They weren't coming, and the feedback started to be they were feeling a little intimidated if they asked questions," she said. "It was about providing a safe space for women to exchange ideas, and if you need childcare you just bring your children. "If you can only come for half an hour, it doesn't matter." As well as teaching farm management techniques, the group was also educated about new land regeneration methods. And just like the seedlings they have planted, the ladies group has grown since it started in 2017. "We've had babies in prams and grandmothers and aunties come along and feel comfortable to have their littlies there," Julie Roberts, who now runs the program, said. Last week Ms de Mestre and Ms Roberts began planting thousands of trees across their two properties to increase biodiversity and regenerate land. More than 10,000 trees will be planted across ten properties, as part of a local mine's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Many of the landholders taking part are from the ladies on the land group. While the seedlings were donated everything else, from planting to fencing, is organised by the landowner. "We have been planting over the years on other blocks that we own, and the benefits are just enormous when you see the biodiversity happening," Ms Hufton said. "We did it on our farm to try and get vegetation back, because we've got next to none on the blocks that we are planting." It's been 30 years since the last mass planting on Ms de Mestre's family's property. Two thousand trees will be planted on land deemed unsuitable for cropping. "We can't do anything with it, so you might as well put trees there and make it a beautiful, biodiverse area," Ms de Mestre told AAP. "I only wish Landcare had more trees to offer. "It's certainly time-consuming ... but if you had to buy those trees it would be very expensive." The group's success has been recognised by men in the community as well. "Sometimes the men sabotage us," Ms Roberts joked. "We organise something and think it's a great topic we're all keen to learn about ... and then the men say 'don't leave us out, we want to do that too'." "Now that we've been doing the group for several years, the ladies are now much more engaged in all the activities that we offer," she said. With numbers increasing the ladies hope they've planted the seed for other female groups to sprout up elsewhere.