ountry News Co
Water Talk Reaching Australia ’s richest agricultural region
E 12-PAUG RE FEAobTer 2015 Oct
Value from every drop — page 5
Meet the new G-MW board — page 3 | Walking the efficiency talk — page 4 | Channels given all clear— page 8
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PAGE 2—‘Water Talk’, October, 2015
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Coalition plans to extend ban racking will be banned in Victoria F until 2020 if the Liberal-National Coalition wins power again.
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Coal seam gas mining is on hold in Victoria while a parliamentary inquiry examines the practice. But the Opposition wants it banned until 2020 to give the state time to assess its impact and implement law changes. ‘‘The work has not been done, we don’t have the regulatory framework to enable an industry to develop,’’ Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh said last week. An Auditor-General’s report into coal seam gas found there were major problems with applying current earth resources regulations to unconventional gas mining. ‘‘The findings of the Auditor-General support our view that the case for an expansion of the commercial unconventional gas industry in Victoria has not been made,’’ Liberal leader Matthew Guy said. In a rare show of candidate unity, the rival Liberal and National candidates for two western Victorian by-elections posed for photographs together to endorse the policy. Victorian Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said it was Labor who first
called for a moratorium in 2012 when it was clear there were gaps in scientific knowledge. She said the parliamentary inquiry into coal seam gas was relying on science and consultation. ‘‘The government will consider the recommendations when the report is handed down in December and will not be making knee-jerk decisions because there is a by-election in western Victoria,’’ Ms D’Ambrosio said. Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber said the Coalition policy would leave communities with more uncertainty and renewed calls for a permanent ban. ‘‘What the Coalition is saying today is they will go to the 2018 election with a policy of a two-year moratorium,’’ Mr Barber said. Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association chief operating officer Paul Fennelly said onshore gas could drive jobs and economic development in regional areas. ‘‘The experience of Queensland also shows that onshore gas can successfully coexist with farming and other land uses,’’ Mr Fennelly said.
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Last week Country News inadvertently ‘moved’ Lake Boga to NSW. We apologise to the citizens of the district and we include a photograph (above) of the lake taken from the front of the Burrabliss Bed and Breakfast.
Lake Boga to get boost
ake Boga will receive L additional water during the next few
weeks as GoulburnMurray Water re-starts transfers into the lake. G-MW river operations planning manager Andrew Shields said the water being transferred into Lake Boga became available after higher than anticipated inflows into Lake Victoria. ‘‘The lake will receive a boost of about 4000 Ml, bringing the volume to 26 000 Ml, which is about 70 per cent of capacity, or
close to 68.2 m AHD (Australian Height Datum),’’ Mr Shields said. ‘‘The transfer will increase the water level by about 40 cm from levels at the start of September.’’ The level and volume of Lake Boga is currently 68.04 m AHD and 24 300 Ml. Lake Boga Caravan Park owner Jason Stevens welcomed the news. ‘‘The caravan park is completely booked over the Christmas/New Year period,’’ Mr Stevens said. ‘‘We will have 120
families here, and all of our customers are skiers, kayakers or water lovers in general.’’ G-MW’s water storages capture, store and release water on behalf of entitlement holders, including urban water corporations who supply towns and businesses; irrigators who grow food and the environmental water holders. ➤ For more information about the mid-Murray storages, visit www.vmms.com.au
‘Water Talk’, October, 2015—PAGE 3
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McNamara is back on duty By Geoff Adams
F
ormer National Party leader Pat McNamara has been appointed to the GoulburnMurray Water Board by a Labor government. But this is not the first time a government from the other side of the political fence has asked for his help. Former premier John Brumby appointed him to the $400 million Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund and another premier, Steve Bracks, asked him to serve on the MCG Trust. A deputy premier from 1992 to 1999, Mr McNamara, now 66, retired from his Benalla seat about 15 years ago but has followed his father’s advice in not retiring from work. ‘‘He always said: ‘make sure you wear out before you rust out’,’’ Mr McNamara said.
His father trained as a pharmaceutical chemist and after running both pharmacies and hotels, moved into real estate. He was still conducting auctions in his 90s. A resident of Nagambie and an irrigator with a vineyard, Mr McNamara said he was looking forward to working with the new G-MW Board. A former agriculture minister, he is aware of irrigation’s role in supporting the largest milk production area in Australia and a range of other agricultural commodities. ‘‘It’s an economic driver for the whole region,’’ he said. Mr McNamara said Victoria’s historic, conservative allocation of water to agriculture had resulted in a reliable irrigation system, unlike some other states, where at least 90 per cent was available in most years.
Re-appointed G-MW directors: Sarah Scales
He has previously advocated with the Victorian Government to move away from water buybacks from the environment in favour of generating savings through more efficient infrastructure. He said Victoria had worked hard to meet the threshold for securing water for the environment. Mr McNamara said he was keen to see the water authority managing water supplies as efficiently as possible. Asked about what issues he would like to see addressed, he said he first wanted to sit down with chair Sarah Scales and the other directors for a briefing. He acknowledged that Federal Member for Murray Sharman Stone has been calling for a royal commission into G-MW, and said he would also like to speak with her.
Former National Party leader Pat McNamara has been appointed to the Goulburn-Murray Water Board.
New G-MW directors: Margot Henty
Margot Henty from Cohuna has been an irrigation dairy farmer for more than 30 years. She is on the marketing subcommittee at the Waterpool Co-operative, is in Victorian Basin Advisory Group, Women in Water Task Force, is a representative at the Murray-Darling Basin Council Community Advisory Committee, and has been involved in the Barr Creek Salinity Management Plan. Ms Henty has a Bachelor of Arts.
Goulburn-Murray Water chair Sarah Scales was appointed a G-MW director in May 2011, and as chair in 2014. Ms Scales owns and operates a business, Clear Point Consulting, which provides advice to the agriculture sector. She was previously a general manager with AWB International in addition to other senior management positions with AWB. Ms Scales has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and has completed the Stanford Executive Program and Australian Institute of Company Directors course.
Ari Suss
G-MW chair Sarah Scales.
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Margaret O’Rourke Margaret O’Rourke was appointed a G-MW director in 2014. She is a former Telstra general manager. Ms O’Rourke is now a consultant to the industry using her specialist skills in digital economy strategies, community facilitation, telecommunications infrastructure and leadership consultancy. She is also a Member of Bendigo Healthcare, Bendigo TAFE and the Tasmanian Ports Authority.
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Dennis Moon was appointed a G-MW director in May 2011. Mr Moon works in the irrigation industry and was a tomato producer. He operates Campaspe Irrigation Pty Ltd and Polycon Engineering Pty Ltd. He is the former chair and vicechair of the Australian Tomato Processing Research Council, the tomato industry’s representative on Horticulture Australia Ltd and was vice-chair of the Nuffield Scholars Association. Mr Moon has a Farm Mechanics Certificate, Diploma in
Transport Management and was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship.
O
Dennis Moon
O w ne d &
Ari Suss is the current executive director of the Fox Private Group and general manager at the Australian Automotive Research Centre in Victoria. He is a current board member for Avalon Airport and a director for the not-for-profit KIDS foundation. Mr Suss was the director and board member for the Carlton Football Club from 2007 until 2012. Between 1999 and 2004, Mr Suss worked as a senior adviser to the office of then Victorian premier Steve Bracks. Mr Suss has a Master of Public Policy and Management and has studied at Monash University and Harvard University; he is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Alana Johnson
Alana Johnson will join Goulburn-Murray Water with the
Margot Henty.
Ari Suss.
goal of achieving food production sustainability. She said in order to achieve this it was critical to ensure our water system worked to its full capacity. ‘‘Water is not just about the issues of allocation, we really have to focus on efficiency, technology and improvements in infrastructure,’’ she said. Ms Johnson is the current chair of the Dugdale Trust for women and girls and president of the Voice for Indi project committee. She is a board director for the Victoria Women’s Trust, a principal of Lurg Cattle Co and a founding member of Australian Women in Agriculture. In the past Ms Johnson was the chair for the Women in Primary Industries panel, and is the
immediate past director of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. She was on the NAB Agribusiness Award selection panel from 2011 to 2013, and is on the Rural Women’s Award and the Churchill Fellowship selection panel. Ms Johnson has a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work, she is currently working towards achieving her PHD and is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dennis Quinn
New director Dennis Quinn was chief executive officer at Engenco Ltd and has a background in engineering and marketing and sales management. He has a Master of Arts (Marketing) and Bachelor of Engineering.
PAGE 4—‘Water Talk’, October, 2015
water talk
Checking out a success story By Cathy Walker
I
rrigation Efficiency Partners walked the talk recently when its directors invited irrigators to take a look at their completed project at Fountaindale Farms, Katunga. Owners the Winzer family were also on hand to tell their side of the story, and it was hugely positive. Mick Winzer said that with the price of temporary water hitting ‘‘a ridiculous’’ $200, the importance of making every drop count couldn’t be understated. ‘‘I thought it was too dear last year,’’ Mr Winzer said. IEP director Kaye Dalton said IEP had 22 projects in round three of the Federal Government’s On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program. ‘‘The Winzer project involved the decommissioning of 30 ha of old flood irrigation layout and an existing channel,’’ Ms Dalton said. Then came the installation of two centrepivot irrigators — each covering a 15 ha circle together with underground supply pipelines, pump and pump shed, automation and construction of a storage dam. During the paddock walk, Coralie Winzer pointed to the lush chicory crop that is now under a centre-pivot irrigator. She said the cows had already voted. ‘‘They love it — and they are the best judges,’’ Mrs Winzer said. IEP director Neil O’Keefe has been auditing completed projects, part of the partnership’s legal obligations under the Farm Water Program. ‘‘The government requires the delivery
IEP directors Kaye Dalton and John Hommes were on hand to explain details of the project. partners to provide a completion report before the final payment is made,’’ Mr O’Keefe said. He and a colleague have travelled extensively in northern Victoria to complete the audit of 22 farms. ‘‘It was fascinating,’’ Mr O’Keefe said. ‘‘We travelled from west of Boort to Eskdale near Tallangatta.’’ He said irrigators had reported their yield increases had been better than expected, as had the quality of feed. ‘‘People were unsure as to whether the (projected water) savings were real,’’ Mr O’Keefe said. ‘‘Many have now said ‘I wish I’d had this opportunity sooner’.’’ Two centre-pivot irrigators are part of the Winzer family’s irrigation upgrade under round three of the Federal Government’s On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program.
Walking under the path the irrigator travels, the flourishing chicory crop was a talking point.
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‘Water Talk’, October, 2015—PAGE 5
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The sugarbeet planted recently gets a drink form a centre-pivot irrigator.
Looking for cheap, quality feed By Cathy Walker
alk to Spencer Rendell about T his foray into growing grazing sugarbeet for his 1200
dairy cows and the facts and figures trip out so fast it’s hard to keep up. But the engaging former New Zealander quickly convinces the visitor to his Girgarre property that the fodder the Kiwis are calling the ‘‘superfood’’ could definitely be the next big thing. Talk to Spencer’s father and business partner Geoff and you get the plain-wrap version. ‘‘Cheap, quality feed. It’s all to do with yield and water use efficiency — that’s what we are looking for,’’ Geoff Rendell said. Spencer has had plenty of interest in his project and is determined to make a success of the European crop that loves heat, doesn’t mind salty water and grows for 400 days. The Rendells praised Seed Force Shepparton’s David Gould and Echuca-based agronomist Chris Dellavedova from Kober Agricultural Intelligence for their support and expertise. Over a coffee around the
kitchen table, the Rendells, with Mr Gould and Mr Dellavedova, described the benefits of the crop that New Zealand farmers this year will plant across 80 000 ha. New Zealand is the only country in the world where farmers are grazing beets in-situ on a large scale, and many countries such as Australia are watching with interest as to how this is being done. ‘‘They can’t get enough seed; we’ve actually been sending some over there,’’ Mr Gould said. Paddock preparation for sugarbeet is critical and the registration of fungicides is an issue. The Rendells’ team agreed the ground should be prepped in a similar way to growing lucerne. While the Rendells will use their beets for grazing, beets are cheap and easy to store because they can be piled into windrows of up to 2 m high and left in the open for months. Mr Gould said a contractor in the Hunter Valley who was growing sugarbeet said he expected to get 50 tonnes/DM/ ha from the crop using pipe-andriser irrigation.
Brigadier sugarbeet is a grazing variety. The Rendells hope to yield 25 tonne/DM/ha using 3 Ml. ‘‘He says you can see it growing during the day,’’ Mr Gould said. He also has clients growing the crop under flood irrigation at Kerang and is getting good reports from them too. ‘‘We want to make sure we do it 100 per cent to the best of our ability,’’ Spencer said. ‘‘It’s an exciting future.’’
Spencer Rendell and his agronomist Chris Dellavedova with the Sfoggia Discover precision seeder imported from Italy by Rendell Farms specifically to plant sugarbeet.
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PAGE 6—‘Water Talk’, October, 2015
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Water argument gets louder Outgoing chief executive of the MurrayDarling Basin Authority Rhondda Dickson recently entered the debate about the basin plan and water allocations, and attracted a response from an irrigators’ body. ➤ Rhondda Dickson’s letter to the Pastoral Times:
I would like to correct some assertions made in several articles recently in the Pastoral Times, which link the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to water allocations and water prices. The basin plan does not affect the states’ water allocations. States make allocation decisions based on how much water is in the dams and future inflows, as they have always done. Water users — whether they’re irrigators, the environment or anyone else — are treated in exactly the same way, so if you change the ownership of a water licence, whatever class it is, you do not change its allocation. Storages are low. An El Nin ˜o has been declared. Despite recent rain, inflows are low. Recently NSW announced zero allocations for general security Murray irrigators.
The Edwards River in the Southern Riverina. That means irrigators and environmental water holders both receive zero; the environment doesn’t get any special treatment. If environmental water holders sold all their general security licences to irrigators, the irrigators’ allocations would still be zero. We’re seeing low allocations at
the same time as rising temporary water prices. This is no coincidence — the two tend to follow each other, and did so well before the basin plan. Farmers are using the market, and prices are moving as they sell water at a price that other farmers are willing to pay.
➤ Southern Riverina Irrigators chairman John Bradford’s response: God help us, if Rhondda Dickson, chief executive of Murray-Darling Basin Authority, doesn’t believe removing 27 per cent of permanent water entitlement out of Murray
Irrigation has had an adverse effect on the temporary water market. The water the government has acquired out of Murray Irrigation by the MDBA, historically made up a large percentage of water placed on the temporary market which was used by motivated irrigators. We have many farmers trying to access temporary water but are competing against all irrigators basin-wide in a shrinking water market caused by a third party, being the government, coming into this market driving the price up. If these prices remain, many farmers will question their viability as irrigators into the future. Ms Dickson was correct when she said the MDBA has no influence on allocations, but not to understand the ramifications of taking this large volume of water out from a limited resource is unbelievable considering the position she holds. SRI is frustrated that the MDBA is unable to comprehend the negative socio-economic impacts caused by this bad plan and the loss of productive water. Her response shows a lack of understanding of our issues. Let’s hope her successor has a better understanding and is prepared to listen and take on board irrigators’ and regional concerns.
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‘Water Talk’, October, 2015—PAGE 7
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‘Impossible’ to call tipping point n briefly summarising Ioutgoing the past three years, Murray-Darling
Basin Authority chief executive Rhondda Dickson told the Senate inquiry into the MurrayDarling Basin Plan ‘‘we think very good progress has been made’’. Before Dr Dickson finished in the role on September 25, she and five senior staff appeared at a hearing in Canberra. Victorian Senator John Madigan asked the group what the tipping point was when you remove productive water out of a region or when you take significant amounts of water out of a region and how that was taken into account in modelling. MDBA social and economic policy analysis general manager David Galeano said it was becoming clear in their early work that it was very difficult to generalise about what those impacts were. ‘‘You can have two communities that look quite similar but, once you scratch beneath the surface, they are quite different,’’ Mr Galeano said. ‘‘Communities behave differently. They have
and around, say, the Griffith area and the Deniliquin area are good examples. ‘‘There are similar volumes of water recovery from both areas to date. There is a very different emphasis on buyback and water recovery. But also there are very different social and economic conditions around how those communities are changing. ‘‘So the response to the basin plan and its effects are a function of how the communities themselves are responding to the basin plan as well. ‘‘There are a whole bunch of other social and economic drivers — and then the basin plan changes.’’
Upper Goulburn Outgoing Murray-Darling Basin Authority chief executive Rhondda Dickson. different links within those economies. It is just about impossible to say that there is a general tipping point in communities.’’
Pathway of change Social and economic integration manager Phil Townsend said: ‘‘Many of
the communities are on a pathway of change. Some of those can be a positive and some are negative. ‘‘How water recovery and the basin plan implementation intersect with that is quite important. ‘‘The work we are doing in
Survey
Senator Madigan then asked about the Upper Goulburn River Catchment Association’s claim they will not entertain having easements on their properties. ‘‘In light of this, how does the MDBA believe that its relaxed constraints strategy is achievable, particularly in light of the Commonwealth government stating they will not forcibly acquire
easements?’’ Senator Madigan asked. Dr Dickson replied that the states were leading the work in the Goulburn at the moment. She said all governments to date had expressed views about not undertaking compulsory acquisition, ‘‘and that is their current policy’’. ‘‘The MDBA have repeatedly told the advisory committee in the Upper Goulburn that there has been insufficient time and insufficient money to complete the technical and complex investigations required to present the business case to the Victorian Government,’’ Senator Madigan said. ‘‘Why is there insufficient time and money, when the plan has a budget in excess of $10 billion? Is there another agenda here?’’ Constraints management taskforce manager Brent Williams said the time frame for the decision points in the constraints management strategy were embodied in the sustainable diversion limits adjustment process.
Constraints ‘‘The SDL adjustment process that Dr Dickson
mentioned earlier in the hearing requires ministers to make a decision and provide their package of works and measures to the authority by June 2016. Constraints are one element of that package,’’ Mr Williams said. ‘‘The investigations that were being undertaken in 2013 and 2014 by us on behalf of states and now by them are bound by that time frame. ‘‘The degree of complexity that people are asking about on a propertyby-property basis for the many, many properties down the thousands of kilometres of rivers that we are looking at does require a longer time. ‘‘That is why the constraints management strategy contemplated a 10-year time frame for implementation.’’ Inquiry chair Senator David Leyonhjelm said at the conclusion of the MDBA evidence: ‘‘Thank you, Dr Dickson and gentlemen. We will be hearing from quite a range of witnesses and holding a number of hearings. ‘‘It would be nice to know that you folks are listening to what they say.’’
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PAGE 8—‘Water Talk’, October, 2015
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Water drives rice crops ater allocation W announcements this month and on November 1
will decide whether Finley district farmers will be able to consider growing rice this season. Finley discussion groups have turned their attention to strategies to lift rice yields and profitability/Ml. The rice stubble water use was 0.2 to 0.8 Ml less than cereal stubble over the past two years. Most farmers are planning to sow rice stubbles for the water savings. The results showed four-year paddock histories with rice on rice or only two rice crops gave higher yields than histories with more than two rice crops in the past four years Although research indicates significant water savings for drill sowing, Ricecheck results from many farmer paddocks over the past two years have not shown big differences. Direct drill water use was 12.5 Ml/ha, drill cultivation was 12.4 Ml/ha compared with aerial pre-germination water use of 12.8 Ml/ha and dry broadcast of 12.2 Ml/ha. The water use for the delayed permanent water drill method did partly agree with the research, being lower at 11.5 Ml/ha. These figures show farmers
Water allocations will influence how much rice is planted this season. are choosing low water use paddocks for their rice growing. Farmers at recent meetings said they were going to use sowing methods that had been successful for them and this was not a year to change to other methods even if they were lower water savings ones. The average Reiziq yield over the past two years for aerial pregermination sowing was 11.3 tonne/ha, dry broadcast sowing was 11.2 tonne/ha, direct drill sowing was 10.3 tonne/ha and delayed
permanent water drill sowing with only three crops was 9.7 tonne/ha. The top 10 yielding Reiziq crops in 2015 averaged 12.3 tonne/ha and six of these were dry broadcast sown, three were aerial pre-germination sown and one direct drill sown. The average Sherpa yield over the past two years for aerial pregermination sowing was 11.8 tonne/ha, dry broadcast sowing was 12.1 tonne/ha, direct drill sowing was 12.1 tonne/ha and delayed
permanent water drill sowing with only one crop was 11 tonne/ha. The top 11 yielding Sherpa crops in 2015 averaged 13.6 tonne/ha and eight of these were dry broadcast sown, two aerial pre-germination sown and one dry aerial sown. Farmers wishing to obtain a copy of the Ricecheck booklet results on how farmers achieve high yields should email johnmarglace@hotmail.com
— John Lacy agricultural consultant, Finley
‘Water Talk’, October, 2015—PAGE 9
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Chemical gone: G-MW month after the season A opened, all irrigation channels have been cleared
of chemical residues from a weed spraying program that interrupted deliveries. Goulburn-Murray Water said all customers in the Rochester, Central Goulburn, Murray Valley and Shepparton irrigation areas now have access to stock and domestic and irrigation water. G-MW was forced to close access to about 370 km of irrigation channels in August, after testing revealed residues of the chemical Imazapyr, used in controlling arrowhead weeds. G-MW head of customer service and operations Daniel Irwin thanked customers for working with the water corporation to ensure it was able to meet their water needs. ‘‘This year, for the first time, G-MW used a herbicide with the active ingredient Imazapyr to treat arrowhead weed in some channels in the Rochester, Central Goulburn, Murray Valley and Shepparton irrigation areas,’’ Mr Irwin said. ‘‘As part of our water sampling program, we identified residual traces of Imazapyr, and as a precautionary measure we contacted all customers supplied from these channels to advise them not to use the water on-farm until further notice. ‘‘We have been progressively
Willow trees get the chop orth Central Catchment N Management Authority has begun removing willow trees along a
Goulburn-Murray Water says its channels have been cleared of chemical residues. opening channels for the past five weeks and can now confirm all affected customers have access to irrigation and stock and domestic water.’’ The corporation was forced to truck in water to some customers who needed stock and domestic supplies. An internal investigation is
being carried out to determine what happened and how it can be prevented from re-occurring. G-MW maintains it used the herbicide in accordance with label instructions. Mr Irwin said arrowhead plagued channels in these regions. ‘‘It significantly impacts on
our ability to deliver water efficiently by choking channels and trapping sediment,’’ he said. ‘‘Controlling weeds in our channels is a high priority for G-MW. We want to ensure our farmers get water when and where they need it and we can't do this with choked channels.’’
1 km section of the Campaspe River opposite the Kyneton River Walk on four private properties upstream of the Piper St bridge. These river frontages will then be fenced from livestock and revegetated with native plants. North Central CMA project manager Angela Gladman said willows would also be removed from a 300 m section of Crown and freehold land at the end of Jennings St on the town side of the river. ‘‘These works will complement the long-term efforts of the Campaspe River and Land Management Group volunteers who have been working on this project for the past 20 years,’’ Ms Gladman said. ‘‘They are part of the Victorian Government’s Caring for Campaspe project, which is aimed at improving and enhancing the riparian vegetation along the river. ‘‘We also have worked closely with the Macedon Ranges Shire Council, the Kyneton CFA and the EPA. The willows will be heaped and burned as they are removed.’’ Willow trees are not native to Australia. They were introduced as a land management tool in the early 1900s to control erosion along rivers and streams. ➤ For more information, phone Ms Gladman on 5448 7124 or email info@nccma.vic.gov.au
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PAGE 10—‘Water Talk’, October, 2015
water talk
Machine ‘sets industry standard’ wan Hill-based Murray S Valley Lasers is spreading itself around: eight farmers and
contractors in Victoria, NSW and Queensland have already purchased the new O’Bryan Farmer 4.3 model carry grade scraper. The company says the scraper is the ideal on-farm solution for flood irrigation bay construction, sand or clay transfer and similar agricultural construction and earthmoving projects. The current machine in production will be delivered shortly to a significant scale Riverina-based rice growing enterprise where it will be used to form up the bays sought for high efficiency in both water use and rice production. The new O’Bryan 4.3 Farmer model was originally professionally engineered and extensively prototyped and is proving to be the ideal earthmoving machine choice to suit the high horsepower often front-wheel assist tractors of 190 to 460 kilowatts (or 280 to 620 horsepower). It is proving the ideal match to the larger four-wheel drive and front-wheel assist-style tractors now commonly in use by both farmers and contractors. Murray Valley Lasers principal Colin O’Bryan said the Farmer 4.3 model was lighter in weight than his company’s traditional heavy duty model that is in use throughout Australia with larger
The O’Bryan Farmer 4.3 model scraper has been designed and built specially for irrigation farmers and smaller agricultural contractors to suit 280 to 620 horsepower dual-wheeled or front-wheel assist tractors. This machine is ready for delivery to a major rice growing farm in the Riverina where it will be used for general farm construction and to form up the flood irrigation bays. rural earthmoving, mining and civil contractors. Two of the new features introduced include an automatic greasing system so that all moving parts are consistently lubricated to minimise wear and reduce downtime.
Another feature is an electronic tyre monitoring system providing a digital readout and information system before the operator in the tractor cabin. Any indication of loss of, or rising, pressures or tyre stress of both the scraper and tractor alerts
the operator enabling the problems to be checked and solutions implemented to manage or minimise any damage. ‘‘This is important on-the-move information especially when the typical rubber tyres used on both the tractor and the Farmer 4.3
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carry grade scraper can have a replacement cost of around $3000 each,’’ Mr O’Bryan said. ‘‘When we released the Farmer 4.3 model we set out to create a range of practical features including the most stable final trim carry grade scraper available in Australia with an earthmoving machine choice for farmers and contractors that offered value for money. ‘‘It has a 13 to 14 cubic metre carrying capacity of fill or soil and its uniquely balanced design including a slightly longer pull places less weight on the tractor drawbar thereby less impact on the tractor and its structure, gearbox and transmission. ‘‘The machine width is equal to a common tractor width of 4.3 m, with a 3.92 m cutting width employing an industry standard three-piece replaceable cutting bar.’’ The new O’Bryan Farmer 4.3 model can be towed on public roads or between properties with only one escort vehicle. It is being used by irrigation farmers and smaller contractor businesses for typically 500 hours of working time a year. Mr O’Bryan said with industryleading hydraulic linkages, the machine could be combined with all popular laser grade control and GPS technology. ➤ For more information, phone Murray Valley Lasers on 5032 9555 or email mvl@hotkey.net.au or see www.murrayvalleylasers.com.au
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‘Water Talk’, October, 2015—PAGE 11
water talk
‘We just have to add water’ peak Up’ water campaign ‘S spokesperson Shelley Scoullar said hundreds of
millions of dollars in production was being unnecessarily lost and as a nation something must be done about it. While the mining industry struggles and car manufacturing is winding down, she wants to know what will replace them. Mrs Scoullar said it was time the Federal Government woke up to the fact there was a potential dining boom that could generate billions of dollars in domestic and export income. ‘‘All the ingredients are there — we just have to add water,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s not difficult, nor is it complex. We simply need governments and bureaucrats with the courage to acknowledge
that mistakes have been made in recent years and do something to rectify it.’’ The Speak Up campaign has been developed by Riverina farmers and business people. Mrs Scoullar said changes to water sharing arrangements now had a significant bias towards the environment and the economic cost was way beyond what most people could comprehend, yet the scientific evidence to prove the level of benefit was still lacking. ‘‘It is vital that we protect the environment throughout the Murray-Darling Basin,’’ she said. ‘‘That is understood and accepted by everyone, especially food producers who live and work in the region. ‘‘But we must ensure all water is being effectively used, in particular at a time when we need
to be producing food that can have a huge economic impact in regions, and the nation as a whole. ‘‘In recent years, 27 per cent of water has been removed from productive use in the Murray Irrigation region, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars a year. ‘‘There are similar problems in the Lachlan Valley, where food producers have just watched $60 million worth of production for the region go down the river in a translucent environmental flow, much to the anger of Lachlan Valley Water. ‘‘We’ve reached the point where there must be changes to the flow rules to restore the balance between the environmental and productive shares.’’ Mrs Scoullar believes the current economic issues being
faced in Australia must surely be the trigger for governments to act. ‘‘As former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam once famously said, ‘it’s time’,’’ Mrs Scoullar said. ‘‘It’s time for Australia to return a bit of common sense to our food production industry so its potential to feed our nation and people throughout the world can be realised. ‘‘A review of how we used our precious water resources was essential and this occurred under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. It found we had to swing the pendulum more towards the environment. ‘‘But we have inadvertently swung it too far and it’s now time to find the right balance so we have healthy rivers, and also grow the food on which we rely.’’
Group opposed to easements group of upper Goulburn A landholders are against the creation of easements to
allow inundation by waterways under the MurrayDarling Basin Plan. The Upper Goulburn River Catchment Association has announced it is against the easements proposed under the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s constraints management strategy. ‘‘It is clear to the UGRCA that landholders, whose properties will be inundated by environmental flood flows, as proposed by the MDBA, in order to deliver man-made manipulated flood flows to the lower Goulburn, Murray and South Australia, are not prepared to negotiate the creation of flood easements over our properties,’’ Yea farmer Jan Beer said on behalf of the group. ‘‘All our UGRCA land holders know that the MDBA flood, will cause an untenable loss in productivity of our farms, significant loss of amenity, increased major flooding risk and will lead to a serious devaluation of our properties. ‘‘The Goulburn River flats in
Gates to get a paint job urther painting work to protect F the spillway gates at the Cairn Curran Reservoir will start in coming
The upper Goulburn River. our area are some of the most productive and valuable farming land in the country. ‘‘Landholders will not stand by and see their equity eroded by man-made floods.’’ Ms Beer said an easement was not mitigation. ‘‘It simply attempts to absolve the river operator, Goulburn-
Murray Water, and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Authority from responsibility and liability from third party impacts.’’ She said the in-channel capacity of the Goulburn River at Molesworth was 9500 Ml/ day, and the proposed MDBA environmental flood flows of 20 000Ml/day represented
more than double the bank full volume. ‘‘Landowners in the Upper Goulburn Catchment stand to suffer very severe and significant inundation of their properties on a continuing basis, and no amount of compensation can mitigate this.’’
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‘Speak Up’ water campaign’s Shelley Scoullar.
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weeks. Goulburn-Murray Water storage manager Dale Farnsworth said the works meant public access to the embankment would be closed for several months. The latest work follows on from upgrades completed in June where the paint system on two flood gates was replaced. This project will complete works on a third gate. Mr Farnsworth said the gates were more than 50 years old and the works were needed to maintain their integrity. He said the paint protected the 11.5 m wide and 8.5 m high gates from corrosion. ‘‘To complete the works, our contractors need to erect a full scaffolding system and encapsulate the works area,’’ Mr Farnsworth said. ‘‘This means, for safety and environmental reasons, we need to close the area to the public.’’ He said there could be some noise associated with the work, however, it would be carried out during the day. ‘‘Apart from these activities, there will be no impact on G-MW customers and recreational users of the reservoir during this time.’’ ➤ For more information, phone 1800 013 357 or visit www.gmwater.com.au
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PAGE 12—‘Water Talk’, October, 2015
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