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Victoria leads one of the recently funded Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia Environmental Management Systems (EMS) pilot projects. The project will pilot EMS with one hundred farmers in three catchments and will provide methodology to link on-farm EMS with catchment priorities, through a collaborative partnership with the Australian Landcare Management Systems (ALMS) group. This project is a partnership between three Catchment Management Authorities (North Central, North East and Glenelg Hopkins), DPI, DSE and the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) and will be conducted over three years. The project team, led by PIRVic, has already undertaken a comprehensive review of eight EMS and precursor EMS products from Victoria, NSW, WA and Queensland. From this, a new EMS manual (ISO14001 compliant) has been developed which will form the basis of on-farm testing with farmers in the three CMA regions. It will be used as the ‘top tier’ EMS for new national grains and meat industry EMS projects (co-funded by Grains Research & Development Corporation and Meat & Livestock Australia respectively). For the new projects, lower level introductory approaches to EMS will be developed, in recognition of the insufficient market drivers for EMS uptake by the majority of farmers. The project is showing that partnerships between states, catchments, government agencies, industry funding bodies and farmer organisations provide a strong basis for developing a co-ordinated approach to EMS in broad-acre industries on a national basis. Contact: Dr Anna Ridley, Rutherglen For further information see EMS in Victorian Agriculture. Back to top Productive Grazing, Healthy Rivers The Productive Grazing, Healthy Rivers project will identify a range of management strategies that give farmers options for managing rivers and riparian zones on their grazing properties. The project will achieve this by integrating riparian and biodiversity management strategies with on-farm management practices to give both environmental and production benefits. For example, many farms depend on rivers and creeks for domestic and stock water, so better water quality has a direct impact on-farm. Reduced erosion of riverbanks (and loss of land) is another benefit of improved riparian zone management. There are also wider community benefits including increased biodiversity. Native vegetation attracts more bird life, and by improving habitat near rivers, it can also contribute to returning animals such as the platypus. This Productive Grazing, Healthy Rivers project consists of regional and state-wide research and extension activities focussed in Gippsland and south- western Victoria, on dairy and beef grazing properties. There are two components to this project; both funded by Dairy Australia, GippsDairy, Land & Water Australia and DPI.
Contact: Sharon Aarons, Ellinbank Centre Back to top Increasing adoption of environmental best practice in horticulture A ‘Naturally Victorian’ funded package has equipped viticulturists of the Sunraysia region with a number of instruments to demystify environmental management in their vineyards. PIRVic staff at the Mildura Centre, have produced an Environmental Best Practice Package for Viticulture. The package includes:
Contact: Sue McConnell, Mildura Centre Back to top Better Fertiliser Decisions Australian grazing industries are facing increasing challenges. There is continual pressure to increase efficiency and productivity, while at the same time there is mounting scrutiny of the impact of grazing systems on the environment. Most Australian soils are deficient in plant nutrients, and therefore fertiliser is a major input on farms, which underpins pasture, livestock and milk production. The benefits of fertilising pastures include increased pasture growth, increased soil nutrient cycling and structural stability, reduced erosion and increased soil water use which lowers recharge to the watertable. However, nutrient losses from our pasture and animal systems can lead to nutrient enrichment of waterways, soil acidification and higher levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There is a need for refined fertiliser management practices that help to maintain a balance between boosting pasture production and groundcover and reducing the risk of nutrient loss to the environment. The Better Fertiliser Decisions project will provide the best available information for making productive and environmentally responsible fertiliser recommendations, while also identifying key knowledge gaps requiring further research. As a result of the Better Fertiliser Decisions project Australian farmers will be able to manage fertiliser inputs to produce better pasture and at the same time achieve less nutrient imbalance in the environment. This project will also bring about greater collaboration between those in the grazing industry and fertiliser companies and a greater acceptance of scientifically sound soil test-pasture response functions and environmental risk analysis. The Better Fertiliser Decisions for Grazed Pastures in Australia project has widespread national support from Dairy Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia, Land and Water Australia, the National Land and Water Resources Audit, the Fertiliser Industry Federation of Australia, Incitec-Pivot, CSBP, Hifert, Canpotex-Agrow, Impact Fertilisers, DPI Victoria, Agriculture WA, SARDI, NSW Agriculture, DPI Qld, DNRM Qld, TIAR, LaTrobe University, the University of New England, CSIRO and EPA Victoria. The project website can be found here. Back to top Gippsland Dairy Riparian Project Inappropriate management of dairy production systems can have severe consequences for riparian zones through flora, fauna and soil loss, eutrophication of waterways and ultimately destruction of habitats and ecosystems. Activities such as nutrient, stock and effluent management and the location and management of tracks and dairies can potentially have significant negative impacts on water quality and the riparian zone. The basis of this project will be the implementation of improved riverine and riparian management on two west Gippsland dairy farms with associated scientific monitoring of environmental parameters. Initial baseline scientific monitoring data will be collected at the project site, after which improved riparian management will be implemented. Monitoring will then be continued for the duration of the project. Principal Aims:
The project dairy farms occur in the high rainfall (>750mm pa) Gippsland Plains bioregion of Victoria. Research activities occur along a 1.7km reach of a 3rd order creek as it traverses the 2 dairy farms in west Gippsland. The headwater of the creek is approximately 5.5km away with the catchment dominated by grazing enterprises, largely dairy but also some beef. Back to top Dairy SAT The DairySAT project is using a staged approach to tackling environmental issues on dairy farms. The majority of dairy farmers are not currently ready for a certified EMS. However, the industry as a whole is keen on improving environmental outcomes. The DairySAT project is a key first step in addressing environmental outcomes as well as providing farmers and the industry with immediate recognition of their efforts. By using the simple DairySAT, farmers can get some indication of the environmental impact of the property, demonstrate that they have a plan in place to protect their environment and are continually striving to improve it. A simple assessment tool is already being requested by some dairy farmers, and by regularly reviewing these issues and actions, DairySAT will lead to greater environmental accountability. Back to top Catalyst for Change in Catchment Communities Developing the pathways from R&D to change through policy Analysis of existing and potential processes and pathways for closer collaboration of R,D& E and policy players (analysis of the operating environment) Develop an alternative model for planning R,D&E such that it is better targeted at the development the of policy-based change tools as well as education and extension of information. Examine the operating environment for application of policy tools. Identify barriers to implementation of tools and propose a model for the application of policy tools in change programs. Assisting stakeholders in assessing and responding to policy Examine existing systems processes and propose improved processes to identify the SEE implications of policy across multiple scales. Examine existing processes for identifying farm and catchment options to respond to current and future policy environments. Liase with DFT project. Propose improved processes. Case Study in the Tarago Catchment An analysis of the policy context and real-world outcomes of this context in the Tarago catchment community, which will inform the development of new policy models. Recommendations on the most promising change management tools and how to deliver them in order to improve water quality in the Tarago catchment Back to top |
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© The State of Victoria, 1996 - 2008.
This document was published on 26/10/2008.