Over 40 landholders gathered together in Mundubbera and Monto in March to learn ways to improve their irrigation water and energy efficiency. BCCA were fortunate enough to borrow some time of highly in demand, well-respected irrigation specialists to assist landholders.
Ross Miller (DAFF) and Pat Daley (Daley Water Services) kicked off the sessions with the pros and cons of various irrigation systems, the importance of scheduling and uniformity and ways to improve current systems and/ or upgrade.
Funding for the workshops is (ironically, given the current climate) through the Flood Recovery program.
The focus of the workshops was energy and water efficiency, therefore regardless of whether there are floods or droughts, achieving these efficiencies could not be more relevant in today’s environment.Not only did landholders walk away with many things to think about with energy and water efficiency,
Ross Anderson from BIEDO provided many tips and tricks to ensure we aren’t paying too much on our irrigation power bills.
Ben Slack (RFCS) provided extensive Information on the Rural Financial Counselling Services available and the importance of seeking assistance when times are tough.
Finally, although not great news for the water quality of our Rivers, Peter Wilson (soils experts with BMRG) gave detailed information about the elevated salt levels in the Rivers following the floods. Peter raised the importance of managing the use of irrigation river water to avoid accumulating salts on the soils.