Farm Development Plan

The SMART Farm Development Plan

The SMART Farm Development Plan provides customers to subsidize the cost of preparing a  Farm Development Plan.

The Plan should:

•           Audit  existing  on-farm  irrigation  activities and other property water uses;

•           Assess short and longer term opportunities to sustainably increase irrigated productivity and production on the property, taking account of topography, soil types and other important property planning matters;

•           Determine   options   to   access   additional irrigation water through water use efficiency gains, identifying new opportunities for storages and/or groundwater extraction; and

•           Identify  the  economic  and  environmental issues to be considered in progressing these options

Essential Elements of a Farm

Water Development Plan

A   Farm  Development  Plan must include:

•          An overview of the property including:

-           Property  Owner  names  and  contact details

-           Property   Name,   Address   and   Title reference

-           Map location (1:25,000)

-           Main Water Course (if relevant)

-           Total   Farm  Area       =       Effective Cropping/Grazing area, native bushland, irrigable area based on land capability) Ha

-           Water Sources (Dam(s), Winter Storage Entitlement, Permanent Entitlements, Temporary Entitlements, Water Bores etc (if relevant)

-           Summary of recent farming enterprises in terms of livestock, pasture and crop areas

-           Photos  providing  an  overview  of  the property

•          A map(s) of the farm available in hardcopy showing

-           water courses

-           soil types

-           soil capability

-           drainage

-           native vegetation

-           existing          and     any      proposed        water storages and/or bores

-           water extraction from streams, irrigation and other main systems and layout

-           current and proposed irrigation areas

•          Climate

-           List nearest observation station

-           Rainfall: mean monthly

-           Temperature: mean monthly maximum and minimum

-           Evaporation: mean daily for each month

•          Soils/Land Capability

-           Soil  Class  –  discussion  of  associated risks,  crop  or  pasture  suitability, crop frequency,

-           Capability/suitability for irrigation

-           Drainage

-           Soil Conservation measures recommended to mitigate any potential

Effects of irrigation

 A water audit of the farm for the current irrigation systems and other main water uses covering:

-           Inventory of legal documents covering water entitlements and other non- legislative agreements including dam permits, water licences, bores, and temporary water trades.

-           Listing of current irrigation enterprises and irrigated area and other significant property water

Uses

-           Audit of existing water entitlements and agreements for ability      to meet reasonable quantitative and reliability needs for existing irrigation enterprises and  other  significant  property  water uses

-           Irrigation scheduling - methods used/to be used

-           Assessment  of  water  use  efficiency  – comparison of the irrigation practices with “normal and best practices” for the area

-           Comment   on   suitability   of   existing irrigation infrastructure and equipment

for optimising water use

-           Assessment of  potential water savings through          upgraded irrigation

Infrastructure and equipment and improved irrigation practices

•          Current water use by source

-           Livestock needs

-           Irrigation needs

-           Dairy shed operations

-           Other

•          Business

Objectives/Opportunities

-           Business objectives showing how new water storage could be used to target production for an identified market, either crops, perennial horticulture, animal production and/or water trading

•          Potential use/future farming needs

-           Future water needs - likely risks for existing enterprises– environmental flows, drought, climate change, market requirements, EMS and QA requirements

-           Proposed changes to farm enterprises

-           Proposed increases to irrigated area

-           Other water needs (eg. stock watering, dairy shed use)

•          Potential   sources   of   increased water supplies

-           Quantitative assessment of potential for new or enlarged dams, extraction from watercourses (gravity and pumping) to help fill dams, bores, wastewater reuse, storm water use – include ML for each

-           Water use efficiency savings identified –include ML

-           Opportunities for water trading –include ML

-           Total new water development identified- ML

•          Identification   of   the   economic and environmental issues to be considered in progressing these water development options.

-           Capital costs

-           Ongoing operating costs

-           Net      revenue         from   productivity/production increases

-           Dam site suitability from an engineering perspective

-           Dam safety issues

-           Flora and fauna

-           Aquatic ecology

-           Hydrology

-           Geomorphology or

-           Aboriginal or historical cultural heritage

-           Salinity

-           Algae

(Note that this is an initial identification ONLY of potential flaws)

•          Summary and Recommendations

-           Preferred options for providing current and future water needs

-           Expected timetable for development of options

-           Further studies required to implement recommendations or to mitigate against identified risks