Get snapping for 2024 calendar

ARE you a passionate photographer who loves capturing the beauty of nature?

Then you'll want to enter the 2024 Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GBCMA) calendar photo competition!

This is your chance to showcase your photographic skills and have your work featured in a calendar known for its fantastic collection of local images and information on flora, fauna, and natural landscapes.

The competition has been running for over a decade, and it's become quite a tradition for nature lovers and keen photographers to participate. And why wouldn't it be? With the opportunity to see your photos printed in a calendar that's distributed across the region, you can proudly show off your skills to your friends, family, and community. But what kinds of photos are they looking for?

GBCMA are interested in photos of local plants or animals in their natural state, insects, waterways, or other natural features that tell a story about the Goulburn Broken catchment. Let your creativity shine through and show off the beauty of the environment around you.

To enter, all you need to do is email your photo to janicem@gbcma.vic.gov.au with your name, address, and subject line. Remember to keep your photo in a landscape format and in a JPEG image format between 2-10MB. And make sure you get your entries in before the competition closes on August 14, 2023.

So, grab your camera and head out into the natural environment to see what you can find. It's time to showcase your skills and capture the essence of the Goulburn Broken catchment.

O’Keeffe demands clarity on netting program amidst hailstorm crises

THE status of the Horticultural Netting Program has come under scrutiny following recent hailstom events faced by local growers.

State Member for Shepparton, Kim O’Keeffe, has called on the State Government to provide an update on the program, which aims to reduce crop damage by enabling horticultural primary producers to purchase and install netting over existing crops, as the last round of applications closed on October 17, 2022.

Fruit Growers Victoria estimates that the recent hailstorm event that occurred on March 23, 2023, caused local growers in the region to suffer an asset value loss of $20,877,750. Under the program, growers were eligible for up to 50 percent of the cost to purchase and to install new permanent netting and/or drape netting, up to a maximum of $100,000.

“The impacts of these crop losses experienced by the local horticulture industry across the Shepparton District, not only effects local growers in my electorate, but it also effects other businesses that rely on the supply of this fruit. The only remaining fruit is in areas that were protected by netting,” said Ms O’Keeffe.

“Research has shown that protective netting helps growers produce better crops, in higher numbers to food security and that nets can also reduce water usage by up to 30 percent.”

The horticultural industry is a significant contributor to the Shepparton District and rural and regional economies. In 2021-22, the industry was projected to account for 17 percent value of farm production, with exports contributing 5.5 percent of farm exports.

To enhance growers' resilience in the face of extreme weather events and ensure that productivity and jobs are maintained, Ms O'Keeffe is calling for further co-investment between the Federal and State Governments in netting to protect horticultural crops

Get Snapping For Exquisite

CALENDAR... Entries are now being accepted for Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority’s 2024 calendar, showcasing fantastic images of local flora, fauna and natural landscapes. Photo: Supplied