CMA expands property planning team

More than 800 farming families in this region have taken part in the Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority’s (CMA) free property management planning courses since it began in 2004.
A recent survey from the Border Rivers-Gwydir region found that 36 per cent of landowners now have a written property management plan, up from 24 per cent in 2007.
The Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA has expanded its property management planning team in order to help even more landholders maximise farm profits, while improving business viability and long-term sustainability.
Mark Blair and Scott Graham have joined Bruce Gardiner to become part of the CMA’s property management planning team, providing free advice to landholders across the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments.
Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA general manager, Paul Hutchings, is optimistic that the expanded team can further increase the number of landholders using property management planning.
“Our aim is to achieve a win-win scenario for landholders where profitability increases and environmental sustainability is also improved,” Mr Hutchings said.
Effective property planning involves a ‘whole of the property’ approach, rather than making decisions as if components of the business were separate and independent.
The CMA offers a series of workshops in ‘Farm Management Systems’, an improvement and integration of activities known as property management planning, sub-catchment planning and farm business monitoring.
“Through planning we can create better management strategies, not just for stock and crops, but also for soils, paddocks, trees, wildlife, the water supply and other resources that make up the property,” said Bruce Gardiner, catchment Officer for property planning.
“Planning allows us to maintain a high level of long-term production without causing landscape degradation. Even low levels of degradation can result in reduced crop yields and loss of carrying capacity,” Mr Gardiner said.
Land degradation issues that can be addressed through property management planning include soil erosion, salinity, soil acidity, soil structure breakdown, loss of soil fertility, tree decline, weed invasion and other issues that reduce catchment condition, production and profitability.
Talk to your neighbours and get a group together (minimum of four people) to take part in a property management planning course or they can help arrange a local group for you.
A suitable location for group meetings will then be chosen and the course is run over six days, spread across an agreed time to suit participants.
All costs are covered by the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA including course manuals, a satellite image of your property, morning and afternoon tea and other materials.
Property management planning groups are operating at Barraba, Bundarra, Delungra, Glen Innes, Inverell, Mingoola, Tenterfield and Warialda.
If you’d like to find out more about Property Management Planning, prospective interested groups and individuals can meet with staff without obligation to commit to the course.
For more details, contact Bruce Gardiner on (02) 6773 5279.