Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics Fact Sheet 5 Frequently Asked Questions 1. If I submit an EOI do I have to submit a Tender application? No. Applicants can withdraw from the process at any time before signing a Grant Contract. However, only sugar cane farmers that register their interest by 2pm [EDST] 18 December 2014 will be eligible to submit a Tender.
2. What if my farm is partially in the Wet Tropics? If your property boundaries extend beyond the Wet Tropics Natural Resource Management region, the whole property will be eligible for the Programme.
3. Can I submit a Tender Application with multiple farms? Yes. A Tender application can include more than one sugar cane farm owned or operated by a single legal entity. In this circumstance, applicants will be required to provide three years of historical data and current documentation that clearly distinguishes activities related to the individual sugar cane farms covered by their Tender application.
4. Can sugar cane farmers submit a group Tender application? No. Group Tender applications will not be accepted. However, family owned farms are considered as one management unit, so a Tender can be submitted for one or multiple farms managed by the one family unit.
5. Can I submit more than one Tender application? No. Only one Tender application per legal entity will be accepted. Where a legal entity owns and/or operates more than one sugar cane farm in the Wet Tropics NRM region, they can include more than one sugar cane farm in their single Tender application.
6. When will I have to implement proposed improvements to my nitrogen use efficiency? Successful Applicants will be required to implement their proposed improvements in each of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Reef Trust Fact Sheet 5 – Frequently Asked Questions
7. What is the maximum value of funds I can seek through the Tender application? The Tender price must be equal to or less than $500,000. Tender applications will be evaluated based on value for money. The nominated Tender price will need to be competitive to be considered for grant funding. Applicants will need to be realistic and ensure they nominate sufficient funds to support them to carry out their proposed changes.
8. Do I have to complete any training? Yes. Within the first year of the Grant Contract you will need to complete the self-assessment component of the following three Smartcane Best Management Practice Modules: 1.
Soil Health and Nutrition Management;
2.
Weed, Pest and Disease Management; and
3.
Irrigation and Drainage Management.
Smartcane BMP Modules can be completed online. It is likely you can complete all three in less than three hours. Please see fact sheet number 4 for further details. By the end of the Grant Contract period, you will also be required to have developed a Nutrient Management Plan. Depending on any previous training, you may be required to attend an updated, prerequisite course related to nutrient planning.
9. Can I submit a Tender application if I have participated in another Australian Government Programme? Yes, so long as you do not have an overdue final report and/or acquittal for another programme delivered by the Department of the Environment. It is also important to remember that you will not be funded for activities that have already been undertaken or are substantially the same activities as those funded by another initiative or programme. For example, if you received funding through Reef Programme (formally Reef Rescue) to purchase equipment, you cannot include in your tender price the cost of purchasing that equipment again.
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Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics 10.Where can I get further information and assistance? Workshops will be held for interested sugar cane farmers and will provide an overview of the Programme, familiarise participants with the Competitive Tender process and provide guidance on how to apply for funding. You are welcome to attend any of the following workshops.
Mossman Monday 1 December 2014
Information that you submit to Terrain NRM as part of this Programme (e.g. regarding your fertiliser application rate) will be used to improve the P2R model. We will therefore be able to determine how the combined efforts of participating sugar cane farmers in this Programme are contributing to reduced nitrogen loads entering the Great Barrier Reef. You will be informed throughout the Programme of its achievements and outcomes.
Cairns
Tuesday 2 December 2014
Innisfail
Wednesday 3 December 2014
There will be no on-ground monitoring at your farm for the purposes of measuring nitrogen losses for this Programme.
Tully
Thursday 4 December 2014
More information on P2R can be found at:
Ingham
Friday 5 December 2014
www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/measuring-success/paddockto-reef.aspx
Please RSVP to Terrain NRM by 24 November 2014 to help us with organising the workshop. Attendance at the workshop is encouraged. However if you are unable to attend, information will be available at www.terrain.org.au/Projects/Agriculture-andInnovation/Reef-Trust You can also email reeftrust@terrain.org.au or call Terrain NRM on 1800 357 755.
11.If successful, can I vary the length of the Grant Contract? No. Successful Applicants will be required to implement their proposed nitrogen use efficiency improvements during the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 as well as meet all other milestones and requirements detailed in the template draft Grant Contract which will be available at: www.environment.gov.au/reef-trusttender
12.How will I know if my efforts are making a difference for the Great Barrier Reef? Your on-farm improvements in nitrogen use efficiency will benefit the Great Barrier Reef through reduced nutrient loads. These environmental outcomes will be modelled through an existing platform already active under the Government’s Reef Programme. This is the Reef Plan Paddock to Reef, Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting (‘P2R’) Programme. Under P2R the relationship between fertiliser applied to farms and the average loss per hectare has been established by monitoring losses across a range of conditions. This information was then used to develop and validate a model to predict reductions in end of catchment nitrogen loads in response to improved fertiliser management.
Reef Trust Fact Sheet 5 – Frequently Asked Questions
www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/measuring-success/reportcards/2012-2013-report-card.aspx
13.How will my personal information be used? The information used in your Tender application and Grant Contract reporting may be published and may also be shared with:
The Department of the Environment; Terrain NRM; State or Australian Government agencies involved in Reef Trust delivery; Smartcane BMP; Individual experts and assessment panels which are responsible for assessing applications; Researchers for evaluation and development of future programmes; and Members of Parliament and the media who may help in publicising successful projects.
Your name, farm site and the grant funding awarded could also be disclosed in documentation such as media releases and be made publicly available on the Department of the Environment website and in its annual report. Personal information collected may also be used in research on the Programme’s effectiveness, which may be published. In most cases only anonymous data would be published in this instance. The Australian National Audit Office may also request access to relevant activity files. Please note that all information submitted to the Australian Government is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 1988.
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Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics 14.Do I have to offer improvements in nitrogen use efficiency across my whole farm? The contracted reductions in nitrogen fertiliser apply to the farm as a whole. How you implement changes within your farm is up to you so long as you meet the Programme goals, for example, a minimum proposed Nitrogen Use Efficiency improvement of 0.1. In delivering improvements, you are encouraged to consider how you manage different parts of your farm and how you manage your farm at different times of the year. For example, you may consider tailoring nitrogen fertiliser management at block level, soil management zones, or other approaches.
15.What other options are available if my circumstances don’t match Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics? Water Quality Grants (formally known as Reef Rescue) will be available in 2015/2016 and applications will be opening in January 2015. A range of training and extension opportunities and assistance with completion of your Smartcane BMP exist across the Wet Tropics. These are available through Terrain NRM, Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, CANEGROWERS and local productivity boards.
16.Can I increase my yield to improve my nitrogen use efficiency? You are encouraged to manage your crop such that your yield is maintained or improved. Putting in place management practices to improve your yield is an effective way to improve your nitrogen use efficiency. This Programme does not however provide incentives to sugar cane farmers to increase their nitrogen use efficiency through improved yield. This Programme is aimed at assisting farmers to supply nitrogen fertiliser at a rate, time and way to maximise the uptake by the growing cane crop.
17.I bought a sub-surface applicator last year, can I count this as part of my Tender? Only changes that are to be undertaken as a result of this Programme can be used to calculate your change to nitrogen use efficiency. Previous equipment or changed practices are included in your baseline calculations.
Reef Trust Fact Sheet 5 – Frequently Asked Questions
18.What would I need to do if successful? Within the first year of your Grant Contract you would need to:
Complete the three key Smartcane BMP modules as highlighted above; AND Put in place certain management practices on your farm/s including for example: subsurface fertiliser application; calibrated nutrient application equipment; routine soil sampling; if mill by-products are applied then they should be limited to less than 100 wet tonnes/hectare
In addition, you will need to:
complete a short survey each year on your farm management practices; and prepare a nutrient management plan by the end of your Grant Contract.
Further information on the above can be found at www.terrain.org.au/Projects/Agriculture-andInnovation/Reef-Trust or by calling Terrain NRM.
19.I also grow bananas in between cane crops, does NUE apply to my bananas as well? The Programme is aimed at cane NUE, so calculations are based on Nitrogen use in cane, not total fertiliser used on the property. If you receive a Grant Contract, you cannot expand the area under cane during the Grant Contract period.
20.What’s the difference between Reef Rescue and Reef Trust? Reef Water Quality Grants (formally Reef Rescue) are a grant for a specific priority practice, which may address nutrients, pesticides or sediment. These grants require a 50% contribution and are up to a maximum of $30,000 for a single farm. Grants are generally one or two year contracts and farmers are paid a partial payment up front and the rest upon completion of the project after acquitting the expenditure. Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics is a Competitive Tender where you have the flexibility to set the price of your proposed practice changes to improve your nitrogen use efficiency. If your Tender is successful, then you will enter into a Grant Contract spanning financial years 2014/15 to 2017/18 in which you will receive a small up- front payment and then an annual payment, as per your Tender bid.
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Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics 21.The tender application form is limited to 10 farms. How do I submit an application if I am managing more than 10 farms? You will need to submit an appropriate number of application forms to accommodate the number of farms. For example: 10 or less farms = 1 Application form; 11-20 farms= 2 Application forms; 21-30 farms=3 Application forms. It is important that you use the same ABN for each tender application form. The generic information requested in the tender application form (i.e. Applicant details, not farm level information) will need to be repeated each time and it is important that this generic information is consistent across all tender application forms. Once your tender application forms are submitted, please email the receipt reference numbers to the Reef Trust email address (reeftrust@terrain.org.au). These numbers will be provided to the Australian Government to help ensure the applications are matched during the assessment phase.
22.I want to submit a multiple farm tender application form. Do I need to provide a map for every farm? The mapping tool must be completed for each farm in a multiple farm tender application (i.e. under each farm tab). Ensure you map the farm’s cane cropping area for 2014 and not the property boundary as described in the tender application form. The mapped area of cane should also reflect the area entered into the nitrogen use efficiency calculator.
23.I have just bought a cane farm. Is it eligible? No. You must have managed fertiliser application of the sugar cane farm for the past three years and hold fertiliser records for the past three years. The Programme is offering financial incentives for Applicants to improve the nitrogen use efficiency of their own farming system, not that of a previous owner’s farming system.
As described in the Guidelines, the improvement in nitrogen use efficiency will be calculated from an Applicant’s nominal Baseline Nitrogen Use Efficiency. The nominal Baseline Nitrogen Use Efficiency will use the Applicant’s average Farm Yield Potential as the Cane Yield (tonnes / ha) and the average of the last three years of the Applicant’s nitrogen application rates as Applied Nitrogen Fertiliser (kg/ha).
Reef Trust Fact Sheet 5 – Frequently Asked Questions
24.I have just transferred to cane from another farming practice (e.g. cattle or pawpaws). Is my farm eligible? No, as you don’t have a historical baseline to seek funds to improve from. You must have managed fertiliser application of your sugar cane crops for the past three years and hold cane fertiliser records for the past three years. If the area of cane on my cane farm has changed (e.g. increased during the past three years) how do I calculate the NUE? If you have managed fertiliser application of your farm’s cane for the past three years and hold fertiliser records for the past three years your farm is eligible. Key additional background calculations will be required to accommodate the change in cane area. An example can be provided to assist you with these background calculations and translating data into the tender application form. As always, you need to be confident you have the paperwork evidence to support any declared nitrogen fertiliser application rates and should document the background calculations for Terrain NRM’s review if requested.
25.When mapping and entering my cane area, what should I include? The cane area (ha) to be mapped and entered into the tender application form’s Nitrogen Use Efficiency calculator must reflect the current (2014) cane cropping (cane block) areas of the farm in question (i.e. blocks under cane, not fallow). Successful applicants must keep records of their cane area for the duration of the Grant Contract, along with other requirements spelt out in the draft Grant Contract (available online at www.environment.gov.au/reef-trust-tender).
26.My cane area will change over the next three years as I take some blocks in and out of fallow, what do I do? The cane area (ha) to be mapped and entered into the tender application form’s Nitrogen Use Efficiency calculator must reflect the current (2014) cane cropping (cane block) areas of the farm in question (i.e. blocks under cane, not fallow). If an applicant is successful, variations of plus or minus 25 per cent from this cane area will be permitted each year of the Grant Contract to allow for business as usual crop and fallow rotations. However, the applicant’s proposed average annual nitrogen fertiliser application rate (kg/ha/yr) for the farm must not be exceeded (note that this differs from previous advice which suggested there would be a cap on total nitrogen applied each year and from previous advice suggesting that cane area must not change). Page 4 of 5
Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics Successful applicants must keep records of their cane area for the duration of the Grant Contract, along with other requirements spelt out in the draft Grant Contract (available online at www.environment.gov.au/reef-trust-tender). Please note that an increase in cane area will not result in an increased payment to successful applicants. In accordance with the Grant Contract, successful applicants will receive the funds requested in their tender application and no more.
27.I would like to expand the cane cropping area of my farm over the next three years, can I? If you receive a Grant Contract, you cannot expand the area under cane for this project by bringing land in to cane production on your farm during the Grant Contract period. The cane area (ha) to be mapped and entered into the tender application form’s Nitrogen Use Efficiency calculator must reflect the current (2014) cane cropping (cane block) areas of the farm in question (i.e. blocks under cane, not fallow).
If an applicant is successful, variations of plus or minus 25 per cent from the 2014 cane area will be permitted each year of the Grant Contract to allow for business as usual crop and fallow rotations, not crop expansion. The applicant’s proposed average annual nitrogen fertiliser application rate (kg/ha/yr) for the farm must not be exceeded for the duration of the Grant Contract (note to accommodate crop and fallow rotations, this differs from previous advice which suggested there would be a cap on total nitrogen applied each year and from previous advice suggesting that cane area cannot change ).
For more information For general information and all the critical links go to www.terrain.org.au/Projects/Agriculture-andInnovation/Reef-Trust For the online expression of interest form, full Tender Guidelines and online Tender application, go to the Department of Environment’s website www.environment.gov.au/reef-trust-tender
Email reeftrust@terrain.org.au
Call Terrain NRM on 1800 357 755
Image by Richard Curzon
Reef Trust Fact Sheet 5 – Frequently Asked Questions
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