Schools Property Planning Competition 2014 ‘Rosedale’

Property Management Planning Is an “ongoing process for total management of a farm business which assists producers to improve their profitability and achieve more sustainable natural resource use”

Effective planning requires the assessment and consideration of all resources It also requires continual improvement Plan Do Check Review

Setting the Scene You are a team of farm advisory consultants who have been asked by the landholder to plan the property ensuring it is both ecologically and economically sustainable.

The Question Your task is to use the principles of whole farm planning to plan the sustainable and profitable development of your case study farm. You need to develop a map, where you will mark on where the infrastructure will be located. In each of the paddocks you will need to decide how you think they should be managed to ensure the sustainability of the farm in the long term. When you finish your map of the property you are to write a 4-5 page report that explains and justifies the decisions you have made in your plan.

Up for Grabs

Landholder’s Goals While property plans can be based purely on the physical resources, it is the landholder who will implement the plan. It is therefore desirable that any plan not only accounts for the physical factors but also the aims of the landholder. The goals of the owners of “Rosedale” are to: Increase property value for sale in the future Increase productivity of the cattle enterprise Improve pasture quality and quantity (including having a mix of types of pastures and provision of seasonal shortages) Encouraging water to stay longer in the creek with better waterholes

What are the Assets? Think about what you see at “Rosedale” What are the resources available to the landholders?

Assets could include: Soil and nutrients Water / Dams / Soil Moisture Infrastructure (fencing, sheds etc) Pasture / Groundcover Biodiversity – Remnant Vegetation Knowledge/Networks Equity / Cash

Soil constraints: Some problems you just shouldn’t ignore!

Which is the Healthy Soil?

Soils and Land Capability What do you remember from the Field Day? Soil relates to land capability What is Land Capability? What are the main indicators of land capability?

Why use grazing management strategies to improve catchment health? Improved profit Maintains adequate groundcover to reduce run off. Prevent soil erosion. Improve soil health. Increase perenniality. Improve the quality of water entering waterways. Reduce deep drainage. Resist weed invasion.

The main challenges on this property are: improving and maintaining groundcover to at least 70% or above minimising erosion in the creek and adjacent paddocks improving the condition of the creek and encouraging habitat for native flora and fauna improving water quality in the creek selecting appropriate grazing and or cropping enterprises seasonal feed value and availability shade and shelter for stock planning for emergencies such as bushfires and floods as well as biosecurity issues. These challenges should be addressed in the property plan.

Plan the fences This will be guided by watering points, but also by the different soil types, drainage lines, erosion and planned stock movements (ie – location of yards, laneways, etc) Though the lower slopes have water troughs in all paddocks, the large mid-slope paddock has just one dam. Can paddocks and watering points in the mid- upper areas be improved?

Hazards or Liabilities Soil erosion – gully, sheet, rill Soil structure decline Loss in Groundcover and desirable perennial pasture species Excess moisture loss Loss of biodiversity Biosecurity and emergency response Infrastructure – fencing and water Shade trees for shelter

Any other suggestions? The role of: Earthworks – gully control structures and management of these structures Fencing Planning paddocks – size, shape Fertiliser Farm trees Improving biodiversity Other enterprises…..

Emergency Response and Bio-Security Threat Source of information Types of actions to include in such a plan Flood Fire Drought Weeds Disease Think about the types of emergency and/or bio-security threats ‘Rosedale’ faces and how to minimise them. List the types of threats which may require a plan and or emergency response. Where would you find information to develop a fire preparedness or other plans.

Emergency Response and Biosecurity (Continued) Threat Source of information Types of actions to include in such a plan FloodSES FireRFS Vegetation clear, fire units maintained and evacuation plan established DroughtDPI Monitoring, Security of fodder and water, adjustment plan WeedsLLS/LHPAHygiene, ground cover, control DiseaseLLS/LHPAHygiene records and control. Examples: BJD and Hendra

Monitoring Decide on some indicators of change that you can use to monitor physical changes on the property. Think about some of the tests and assessments you participated in at the field day. Some examples could include: Pasture and/or groundcover percentage Pasture and/or crop yields Soil carbon or structural changes and soil pH Groundwater levels Records of bird sightings as an increase in the number and diversity of species signals better environmental conditions Water quality

A helpful hint…. When you make suggestions – think about how these are going to be managed. How are the landholders going to know they have achieved their goals? (Monitoring) How are they going to measure the improvements?

MARKING SCHEDULE. Part A CriterionNot done Marks: 0 Consideration given. Marks: 1-2 Adequate standard Marks: High standard Marks:6 - 8 Score 1) Consideration of Land Use issues and hazards No discussion of strategies to manage property considering land use constraints. Inappropriate suggestions to manage property considering land use constraints. Good discussion of strategies to manage property considering land use issues. Appropriate management decisions. Thorough discussion of strategies to manage property considering land use issues and hazards. Appropriate management decisions made. Innovative strategies explored. 2) Enterprise selection, range, justification and suitability No information presented to show enterprise selection. Irrelevant or inappropriate enterprise selection. No reasons given. Appropriate enterprise selection. Relevant and adequate explanation of enterprise selection. Appropriate enterprise selection. Relevant and adequate explanation of enterprise selection. Innovative ideas demonstrated that meet the requirements of landholder and land resource. 3) Consideration of Landholders aims No consideration given. Some consideration given to some aims. Some consideration given to all aims. High level of consideration shown for all aims. 4) Map Presentation Not included, poor presentation. Some effort shown to present map Map presented clearly with some effort made with presentation. Map presented very clearly and to a high standard with effort made with presentation. 5) Report Presentation Not included, poor presentation. Some effort shown to present report report presented clearly with some effort made with presentation Report presented very clearly and to a high standard with effort made with presentation.

MARKING SCHEDULE. Part B Criterion Not done 0 Consideration given Marks: 1 – 2 Adequate standard Marks: High standard Marks: Score 6) Use of Resource Informatio n provided No use of information provided. Some resource information used to develop management recommendations or map. Most resource information used to develop management recommendations and map. All resource information used to develop both management recommendations and map. 7) Legal considerati ons accounted for No accounting for legal considerations. Legal constraints considered, but unclear how they affected decisions. Legal constraints considered. Clearly affected management decisions. Legal issues clearly considered and applied to management, Consideration given to overcoming legal constraints. 8) Funding considered No consideration of funding works. Mention of need to source funding. Funding sources suggested for works proposed. Range of funding options explored and linked to proposed works. 9) Use of other resources No reference to other resources used. References given to use of resources, but irrelevant resources used. References given to use of resources. Relevant resources used but not referenced. List of relevant resources mentioned in text and references given. 10) Monitoring No consideration to monitoring of recommended and works Need to monitor mentioned Map shows monitoring points and strategy described Range of monitoring options given with preferred strategies recommended and mapped. 11) Bio- security and Emergency Planning No consideration given/no response to any Biosecurity or Emergency Planning criteria Mention given or poor understanding of Biosecurity and Emergency Planning issues Understanding of Biosecurity and Emergency Planning issues Thorough understanding of Biosecurity and Emergency Planning issues. Good evidence of ideas being used in plan.

Good Luck! Best two entries due in by 26 May