4 valleys program

Hunter Local Land Services and Hunter Water Corporation are collaborating to deliver a long-term program for landholders in the drinking water catchments of the Paterson, Allyn, Chichester and Williams River valleys.

Project objectives

This project will:

• safeguard water quality and environmental values  
• improve farm productivity and profitability.

Project delivery

• Grazing management courses.
• A farm planning program.
• Field days and workshops.
• A landholder survey.

Work underway

• Showcasing practices and systems for riparian, bushland and grazing management which are win-win for landholders and the environment.
• Demonstrating tactics to manage predicted seasonal plant growth to meet objectives for pasture, animal production and environmental condition.
• A farm planning program run for seven days across 2023-2024, which covered grazing, vegetation management, farm water, soil health and lots more.
• Development of a landholder survey to capture learning interests.
• Hosting field days that cover:
  • pasture assessment
  • grazing management - PROGRAZE™
  • dung beetles
  • maintaining riparian condition for water quality, habitat and farm management
  • soil health, fertility and biology
  • topics of interest identified from participants.

Steering Committee EOI

Local Land Services are seeking voluntary landholder participation on the 4 Valleys program Steering Committee. 

Membership currently comprises: 

• 2 members from Hunter Water
• 4 members from Hunter Local Land Services including a Project Officer
• 1 community member.

The committee would like to have additional community participation to expand the range of community perspectives providing advice to guide project implementation.

Role of the committee

The role of the steering committee is to oversee and guide the delivery of the program. The essential functions of the steering committee are to:

• provide strategic guidance on the development and implementation of the program plan/s
• endorse the Sustainable Agriculture program budget, implementation and evaluation
• provide advice on adaptive management of the 4 Valleys program 2025-30 as circumstances change or arise.

The committee works with Local Land Services to: 

• increase the likelihood of program success by providing local knowledge and advice on how best to engage local landholders in activities
• increase the broader adoption of management practices, boosting both farm productivity and catchment health.

Eligibility

A community member should be a landholder who lives in, near, or has strong knowledge of the Paterson, Allyn, Williams and Chichester River catchments.

Commitment

The committee will meet 4 times per year for approximately 2 hours (commonly 10am til 12pm with lunch following). This is an unpaid, volunteer position.

How to apply

To express your interest in being a community member of the 4 Valleys program Steering Committee please provide 1-page (maximum) with your contact details and an outline of:

• why you are interested in contributing to the 4 Valleys program Steering Committee
• your interest or understanding of how best to promote broad adoption of grazing and riparian management
• your knowledge of the interests of landholders in the Paterson, Allyn, Williams and/or Chichester River catchments
• your availability to attend a first meeting at Paterson in September 2025
• your connection to the project area—preference will be given to community members who live in, near, or have strong knowledge of the Paterson, Allyn, Williams and Chichester River catchments.

Please submit your Expression of Interest to sam.harwood@lls.nsw.gov.au by Friday 15 August 2025.

Funding and partnerships

This project is funded by the Hunter Water Corporation and administered and delivered by Hunter Local land Services.