The Dr Sidney Plowman Travel and Study Award recognises a staff member who has made an outstanding contribution to practical on-farm achievement of soil conservation, including establishing indigenous vegetation, and fostering improved land management practices by farmers and landholders.

Peter Ronalds grew up in West Gippsland and spent the first 20 years of his working life as a dairy farmer at Jindivick. Along with his family, he planted thousands of native trees on the farm, linking them through long corridors to neighbouring farms, protecting the waterways and significantly lifting productivity.

In 2005 Peter was instrumental in establishing the Jindivick Landcare Group and was still serving on the committee up until 2023. After some further training in natural resource management and sustainable agriculture, Peter joined the Western Port Catchment Landcare Network (WPCLN) in 2006, working with farmers on sustainable land management.

His passion for helping farmers achieve best practice has seen him deliver many large, regional-scale, multiple-year projects.

Farmers see Peter as a peer. This means he has been able to build strong relationships that are based on trust and respect. When the Black Saturday Bushfires tore through parts of the region in 2009, Peter immediately swung into action. He worked with the West Gippsland CMA, local government, churches and the local community to apply for grants to replace shelterbelts that had been destroyed, remove burnt cypress and pines, and assist with refencing Landcare projects. Of the 60 farms with damaged Landcare projects, all but one was able to be reinstated.

Peter supported community planting days to assist with the recovery effort and organised multiple field days on fire recovery for local farmers. His enthusiasm is inspiring. He has the ability to pull many partners together to achieve a common goal. In 2020 Peter was part of a popular seven-week regenerative training program for farmers led by scientists and experts.

An advocate for peer support and the importance of networking and discussion, the farmer discussion groups Peter established 10 years ago are still active.

Peter said he finds working with farmers energising.

“I love the passion that many farmers have. They are great innovators so there’s lots of bouncing ideas around and sharing experience and knowledge,” he said.

Peter is an innovator, and always keen to test and trial alternate practices which can lead to increased sustainability and profitability. In recent years he has observed a number of Australian farmers using bioferts to maintain pasture or crop production, reduce pest and disease impact, and reduce input costs.

Bioferts are generally sourced on farm, using manure or milk, with trace minerals and other nutrients added. The biofert fermentation process metabolises the minerals to make them more available to soils and plants.

Peter will use his award to undertake a study tour of eight Victorian farmers who are using bioferts successfully. He will share the results with his local farmer discussion groups and with a written report.

Alongside his passion for Landcare, Peter also volunteers with Beyond Subsistence, a not-for-profit organisation that supports and trains subsistence farmers in Africa to make sustainable improvements in farm productivity, nutrition, and the environment. Peter has made many trips to Africa and provides online support to African farmers when he is at home.