planning certainty a challenge for investment april 2014
DESCRIPTION
Planning Certainty A challenge for Investment April 2014. Tom Chesson – CEO Australian national Irrigators Council Murray Smith – Principal Engineer, Agriculture and Regional Water (GHD). Planning certainty. Similarities and differences between New Zealand and Australia - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Planning Certainty A challenge for Investment April 2014](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022062409/56814943550346895db68b77/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Planning CertaintyA challenge for Investment
April 2014
Tom Chesson – CEO Australian national Irrigators Council
Murray Smith – Principal Engineer, Agriculture and Regional Water (GHD)
![Page 2: Planning Certainty A challenge for Investment April 2014](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022062409/56814943550346895db68b77/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Planning certainty
• Similarities and differences between New Zealand and Australia
• Irrigation Corporations• Water security – balance between water for
consumptive use and the environment• Vegetation management• Nutrient management (emerging focus in AUS)
![Page 3: Planning Certainty A challenge for Investment April 2014](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022062409/56814943550346895db68b77/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Land Use changes• Australia’s geological history and climatic condition (low rainfall
and high evaporation) has created a unique very flat continent accumulated with enormous amounts of salts in the soil – saline lakes/streams is a natural part of the Australian landscape and native vegetation has adapted to these conditions.
• Salinity - 2.5 M ha (potential to increase to 12 M ha); Acidity – 90 M ha (Williams, J & Saunders, D 2003, CSIRO)
• Land use change to agricultural land after European settlement has resulted in clearing of native vegetation and changes in landscape hydrology.
• Increase the need for water supply and fertilizer input to support increased pasture and crop production.
• The system has now become vulnerable to leakage of sediments, nutrients and water beyond root zone.
![Page 4: Planning Certainty A challenge for Investment April 2014](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022062409/56814943550346895db68b77/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Nutrient Loss Risk factors
• Nutrient loss from farms can be costly and has potential to cause degradation of waterways, groundwater and add to greenhouse gases.
• The major nutrients that cause environmental pollution are:
• Nitrogen• Phosphorus
![Page 5: Planning Certainty A challenge for Investment April 2014](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022062409/56814943550346895db68b77/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Farm Nutrient Loss Index To assess the risk of nitrogen and phosphorus loss for the Australian grazing industries
• Industry standard to guide farm advisors on identifying risky nutrient practices.
• Four nutrient loss pathways
![Page 6: Planning Certainty A challenge for Investment April 2014](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022062409/56814943550346895db68b77/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Farm Nutrient Loss Index• Key factors of FNLI that cause nutrient loss are:
1. source of nutrients2. factors of nutrient transport
• “where there is a source of nutrient, there is a potential source for nutrient movement off-farm”
![Page 7: Planning Certainty A challenge for Investment April 2014](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022062409/56814943550346895db68b77/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Best Management Practices for Nitrogen Application
General guidelines for N management
– Reduced stocking rates and stocking intensity to minimise N losses from urinary deposition.
– Only apply N when pasture is actively growing and can utilise the N.
– Avoid applying N fertiliser near streams/riparian zones and over drainage lines in a paddock.
– Light N application is the best practice - 50 to 60 kg N/ha in any single application, 21 to 28 days apart.
Nitrate leaching and denitrification
– Avoid the following practices:• Over application – Nitrate leaching• High rates of N on waterlogged
soils – Denitrification• Application to soil at high
temperature - Volatalisation – Free draining soils - avoid
application before heavy rainfall and for at least 2 to 5 days after heavy rains.
– Avoid pugging by heavy stocking intensity during high rainfall periods, as this will result in either increased drainage or surface run-off loss of N.
![Page 8: Planning Certainty A challenge for Investment April 2014](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022062409/56814943550346895db68b77/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Reef Rescue Water Quality R&D Program: Overview of research projects
• Grazing industry– Improving grazing management practices to enhance ground cover and
reduce sediment loads– Runoff Nitrogen generation rates from pasture legumes – an
enhancement to reef catchment modelling• Sugarcane Industry
– Evaluating and improving A Class practices to control ‐ nutrient losses from sugarcane
– Advanced drip and optimised furrow irrigation to minimise sediment, nutrient and pesticide losses to the environment through deep drainage and runoff from sugarcane and banana industries
• Horticulture Industry– Minimising off farm movement of nitrogen ‐ in the north Queensland
banana industry• Dairy Industry
– Validating the cost/benefits of improved fertiliser practices and quantifying nutrient loads and pathways from irrigated dairy pastures