The Old Ram-Australia
Herd Master
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- Jan 18, 2011
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G'day the following is a post which relates to the system down here of funding the environment by farmers,the reason I have posted it here is to get some idea of how funding works up there.
"Its more than 10 years since we commenced our first project under the old Bush incentive Scheme which was followed by a Landcare grant to rehabilitate and restore our creek both of which were an outstanding success in spite of “opposition” from the “so called” experts in the field to the methods we were employing at the time.
I recall on a site visit by a field officer I made the following observation about the future of the organization.”It’s hard to move forward, when you are only looking backwards.”
So when I saw an advert for a Bird Habitat Program I thought I would enquire and was promptly supplied with the relevant information, which I read through and considered in relation to the area I thought suitable. While reading through the information supplied it all sounded really familiar because in recent years I have considered other programs on Native Grasslands and the like. Except for the title it appears all of the programs are much the same in criteria, conditions and funding .There appears to be a “top” limit of $10k with the period of the contract being 10 years with the funds being aimed at fencing and the planting of trees.
So let’s consider a “Greenfield site” of say 100 ACS (40 ha) adjacent to a woodland area. $10K div by 100acs over 10 years works out at $10 per ac per year. Now apart from any capital spend that’s required and based on 1 hr per week that’s a return of $2 per hour to meet all of the specified requirements of the contract which are quite extensive in their scope. It seems to me that the funding agencies are more concerned about “locking up the maxim number of acs and the planting of the max number of trees irrespective of the survival rate. The example case of 100 acs would struggle to compare with our site after 20/30 years, because (IMO) planting tube stock seedlings into existing Farmland generally speaking “fails” due to a lack of understanding of the environment required for successful “take-off”. We have “never” planted a tree on our 300 ACS and except for one or two instances we have re-generated existing Woodland species even with our “managed grazing regime “for reasons that are always “dismissed’ by traditional experts.
The area I had in mind was 71,000 sq mts already fenced of what I would describe as class 1 wood-land and existing bird habitat with both Natural and introduced water points. To measure the extent of the bird population it would be necessary to install Wildlife cameras for a period of time. There are at least 3 species which are classed as endangered that I have observed, ie. Glossy Black Parrots, Gang Gangs and Scarlet Robins all of which breed and feed in or adjacent to the area concerned.
In recent times much of the productive value of the land has been lost to a Native Woody species which will now have to be managed to provide feed for our stock and to control Rabbits, Foxes and the occasional Feral Pig. The 10 year term immediately means that I would not even apply as I’m 75 now."
Have you sought funding for environmental outcomes on your farm? What hurdles did you encounter?Did you find the agency controlling the funds sympathetic to your goals and did you proceed with the process ?.....T.O.R.
"Its more than 10 years since we commenced our first project under the old Bush incentive Scheme which was followed by a Landcare grant to rehabilitate and restore our creek both of which were an outstanding success in spite of “opposition” from the “so called” experts in the field to the methods we were employing at the time.
I recall on a site visit by a field officer I made the following observation about the future of the organization.”It’s hard to move forward, when you are only looking backwards.”
So when I saw an advert for a Bird Habitat Program I thought I would enquire and was promptly supplied with the relevant information, which I read through and considered in relation to the area I thought suitable. While reading through the information supplied it all sounded really familiar because in recent years I have considered other programs on Native Grasslands and the like. Except for the title it appears all of the programs are much the same in criteria, conditions and funding .There appears to be a “top” limit of $10k with the period of the contract being 10 years with the funds being aimed at fencing and the planting of trees.
So let’s consider a “Greenfield site” of say 100 ACS (40 ha) adjacent to a woodland area. $10K div by 100acs over 10 years works out at $10 per ac per year. Now apart from any capital spend that’s required and based on 1 hr per week that’s a return of $2 per hour to meet all of the specified requirements of the contract which are quite extensive in their scope. It seems to me that the funding agencies are more concerned about “locking up the maxim number of acs and the planting of the max number of trees irrespective of the survival rate. The example case of 100 acs would struggle to compare with our site after 20/30 years, because (IMO) planting tube stock seedlings into existing Farmland generally speaking “fails” due to a lack of understanding of the environment required for successful “take-off”. We have “never” planted a tree on our 300 ACS and except for one or two instances we have re-generated existing Woodland species even with our “managed grazing regime “for reasons that are always “dismissed’ by traditional experts.
The area I had in mind was 71,000 sq mts already fenced of what I would describe as class 1 wood-land and existing bird habitat with both Natural and introduced water points. To measure the extent of the bird population it would be necessary to install Wildlife cameras for a period of time. There are at least 3 species which are classed as endangered that I have observed, ie. Glossy Black Parrots, Gang Gangs and Scarlet Robins all of which breed and feed in or adjacent to the area concerned.
In recent times much of the productive value of the land has been lost to a Native Woody species which will now have to be managed to provide feed for our stock and to control Rabbits, Foxes and the occasional Feral Pig. The 10 year term immediately means that I would not even apply as I’m 75 now."
Have you sought funding for environmental outcomes on your farm? What hurdles did you encounter?Did you find the agency controlling the funds sympathetic to your goals and did you proceed with the process ?.....T.O.R.
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