Schools Property Planning Competition 2013 “Waitara”

Property Management Planning Is an “ongoing process for total management of a farm business which assists producers to improve their profitability and achieve more sustainable natural resource use”

Effective planning requires the assessment and consideration of all resources It also requires continual improvement Plan Do Check Review

Setting the Scene You are a team of farm advisory consultants who have been asked by the landholder to plan the property ensuring it is both ecologically and economically sustainable.

The Question Your task is to use the principles of whole farm planning to plan the sustainable and profitable development of your case study farm. You need to develop a map, where you will mark on where the infrastructure will be located. In each of the paddocks you will need to decide how you think they should be managed to ensure the sustainability of the farm in the long term. When you finish your map of the property you are to write a 4-5 page report that explains and justifies the decisions you have made in your plan.

Up for Grabs

What are the Assets? Think about what you see at “Waitara” What are the resources available to the landholders?

Assets could include: Soil and nutrients Water / Dams / Soil Moisture Infrastructure Pasture / Groundcover Biodiversity – Remnant Vegetation Knowledge/Networks Equity / Cash

Soil constraints: Some problems you just shouldn’t ignore!

Which is the Healthy Soil?

Soils Soil landscape info in your resource book What do you remember from the Field Day? Soil relates to land capability

Land Capability What is it? What are the main indicators of land capability?

Why use grazing management strategies to improve catchment health? Maintaining adequate groundcover to reduce run off. Prevent soil erosion. Improve soil health. Increase perenniality. Improve the quality of water entering waterways. Reduce deep drainage. Resist weed invasion. Salinity outbreak area with saltbush plants on ‘Waitara’

Aboriginal Land Use The local Kamilaroi people have asked the land manager if they may assist with conservation works such as tree planting and maintenance of a small site significant to them on ‘Waitara’. As the farm advisor, in your report briefly describe for the landholder a recommended common sense process as to how to manage this. Aspects to consider include: Nature of conservation work Kamilaroi people are interested in Assessment of frequency, scale and impact of activity Benefits and risks to the landholder and to the Kamilaroi participants Potential impact on productivity and cost to landholder/Kamilaroi participants Potential security issues Ongoing maintenance expectations

The main challenges on ‘Waitara’ are: 1. the landholders time – working full time off farm 2. provision of water for stock 3. seasonal feed value and availability 4. shade and shelter for stock 5. control of erosion and scalded areas 6. control of salinity 7. selecting appropriate grazing and or cropping enterprises *Each of these challenges needs to be addressed in the property plan.

Provision of water This is the most important and the first step. Without stock water, the plan cannot proceed.

Quality vs. livestock production Trials compared – Old farm dams – Dam water pumped to a trough – Fresh water from a trough

Plan the fences This will be guided by watering points, but also by the different soil types, drainage lines, erosion and planned stock movements (ie – location of yards, laneways, etc)

Hazards or Liabilities Soil erosion – gully, sheet, rill Soil structure decline Loss in Groundcover and desirable perennial pasture species Excess moisture loss Biodiversity Infrastructure – fencing and water Shade trees for shelter

What are some suggestions you can make to the landholders? Grazing Improving groundcover and diversity Using fertiliser Suggestions for winter feed gap Cropping Discuss limitations, opportunities, impacts and management Other enterprise opportunities Consider farm stays, other ideas

Any other suggestions? The role of: Earthworks – gully control structures and management of these structures Fencing Planning paddocks – size, shape Fertiliser Farm trees Improving biodiversity Other enterprises…..

A helpful hint…. When you make suggestions – think about how these are going to be managed. How are the landholders going to know they have achieved their goals? (Monitoring) How are they going to measure the improvements?

MARKING SCHEDULE Part A CriterionNot done Marks: 0 Consideration given Marks: Adequate standard Marks: High standard Marks:6 - 8 Score 1) Consideration of Land Use issues and hazards No discussion of strategies to manage property considering land use constraints. Inappropriate suggestions to manage property considering land use constraints. Good discussion of strategies to manage property considering land use issues. Appropriate management decisions. Thorough discussion of strategies to manage property considering land use issues and hazards. Appropriate management decisions made. Innovative strategies explored. 2) Enterprise selection, range, justification and suitability No information presented to show enterprise selection. Irrelevant or inappropriate enterprise selection. No reasons given. Appropriate enterprise selection. Relevant and adequate explanation of enterprise selection. Appropriate enterprise selection. Relevant and adequate explanation of enterprise selection. Innovative ideas demonstrated that meet the requirements of landholder and land resource. 3) Consideration of Landholders aims No consideration given. Some consideration given to some aims. Some consideration given to all aims. High level of consideration shown for all aims. 4) Map Presentation Not included, poor presentation. Some effort shown to present map Map presented clearly with some effort made with presentation. Map presented very clearly and to a high standard with effort made with presentation. 5) Report Presentation Not included, poor presentation. Some effort shown to present report report presented clearly with some effort made with presentation Report presented very clearly and to a high standard with effort made with presentation.

MARKING SCHEDULE Part B CriterionNot done 0 Consideration given Marks: 1 Adequate standard Marks: 2 High standard Marks: 4 Score 6) Use of Resource Information provided No use of information provided. Some resource information used to develop management recommendations or map. Most resource information used to develop management recommendations and map. All resource information used to develop both management recommendations and map. 7) Legal consideratio ns accounted for No accounting for legal considerations. Legal constraints considered, but unclear how they affected decisions. Legal constraints considered. Clearly affected management decisions. Legal issues clearly considered and applied to management, Consideration given to overcoming legal constraints. 8) Funding considered No consideration of funding works. Mention of need to source funding. Funding sources suggested for works proposed. Range of funding options explored and linked to proposed works. 9) Use of other resources No reference to other resources used. References given to use of resources, but irrelevant resources used. References given to use of resources. Relevant resources used but not referenced. List of relevant resources mentioned in text and references given. 10) Monitoring No consideration to monitoring of recommended and works Need to monitor mentioned Map shows monitoring points and strategy described Range of monitoring options given with preferred strategies recommended and mapped. 11) Aboriginal Cultural Heritage No consideration given/no response to criteria 1-2 responses given or poor understanding of issue 3-5 responses given with some understanding of issue >5 responses given. Good understanding of issue. Mention of specific points. Evidence of ideas being used in plan. Q2. Lists specific parts of Federal/State Acts.

Good Luck! Best two entries due in by 27 May