Department of Sustainability and Environment Department of Primary Industries This project is funded as part of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority Regional Catchment Strategy in the Shepparton Irrigation Region and is provided with support and funding from the Australian Government and Victorian Government through the National Action Plan for salinity and water quality and the Natural Heritage Trust. This project is delivered through partnerships between the Department of Primary Industries, Department of Sustainability and Environment, the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority and Goulburn-Murray Water. Published by: Catchment and Agricultural Services Department of Primary Industries Tatura 2004 © Copyright State of Victoria 2004 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised and Printed by: Department of Primary Industries Ferguson Road, Tatura. ISBN 1 74146 202 9 Disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. For more information about DPI visit the website at www.dpi.vic.gov.au or call the Customer Service Centre on 136 186. Acknowledgments: Stories written by SIL-GB staff, Compiled by Kym Ockerby and Raechel Ballinger. DPI –Sustainable Irrigated Landscapes – Goulburn Broken – 2003/2004 Page 2 Introduction The aim of the story approach in the Sustainable Irrigated Landscapes – Goulburn Broken (SIL-GB) Team is to implement the use of stories as a sharing and evaluation tool within the team. The idea was adopted at the Sustainable Irrigation And Land Management (now SIL- GB) Team Workshop in Moama in 2001. The story approach was adapted for the team by utilising Target 10’s story sharing. The Target 10 dairy extension project has been using a story format since May 1998. The story approach promotes sharing of experiences, whether positive or negative within the SIL-GB Team. This approach is also an opportunity for individual team members to write down their personal experiences/learnings. There are no specific topics for the stories. Each time a member of the SIL-GB team has a farm visit, talks to a group, attends a meeting or participates in a training session, there is an experience that could be shared!! This year the stories were categorised into Domains of Change. Domains of Change are broad ‘categories’ which indicate some sort of change. The four Domains were decided upon by utilising Target 10’s categories and adapting them to suit the work the SIL-GB Team does and the SIL-GB Vision. These Domains of Change are deliberately not too specific as it is up to the author to interpret what they feel is the change and which category (as listed below) it belongs in. • Changes in landowner or community attitudes • Changes in land/water/environmental/economic or social management • Changes in the way we operate • Any other changes Stories collated over 2003-2004 range in topics such as personal growth, changes in landowner attitude and changes in team operations. Please enjoy reading these informative and insightful stories and thank you to team members for sharing their experiences. Happy reading!! Kym Ockerby Story Champion of the SIL-GB Team DPI –Sustainable Irrigated Landscapes – Goulburn Broken – 2003/2004 Page 3 Contents • Introduction 3 • Changes Coming from Within 5 & 6 • Evaporation basins – are they as bad as people think? 7 & 8 • Mamma Mia and Saltwatch 9 & 10 • The Nanneella and District Rural Information Kit 11 & 12 • A presentation at ANCID, how scary!! 13 & 14 • Community Surface Water Management Program Portfolios 15 & 16 – A change in the way we operate • “The Block!” 17 & 18 • “The Block Part 2” The next chapter 19 & 20 • Lifestyle Improvement through Whole Farm Planning 21 & 22 • The Farm Team visits projects in the Corangamite Catchment 23 & 24 Management Authority area • The Cornella Local Area Plan self promotion 25 & 26 • Focusing on Outcomes and Managing Stakeholders Expectations: 27 & 28 lesson learned from the review of the Whole Farm Plan program • The Showdown: Bally Vs Public Speaking 29 • Babblers Promote Environmental Stewardship 30 & 31 • A Sunny Trip 32 - 35 DPI –Sustainable Irrigated Landscapes – Goulburn Broken – 2003/2004 Page 4 Changes Coming from Within Name of person recording the story : Rabi Maskey Who was involved in the story : A landowner from Katamatite When did this story happen? March 2003 Domain Of Change: Changes in landowner or community attitudes What happened? This story is about a landowner, Daryl Lukies, who has been on a property at Katamatite for the last 25-30 years. He has decided to prepare a whole farm plan this year and thinks that it is never too late to prepare one. He said, “Now I could clearly see a link between preparing a whole farm plan and an efficient use of water”. I remember meeting Daryl before this recent discussion with him. He was present at a meeting when I was discussing a whole farm plan with another landowner, who happens to be his son. At that time, I remember that Daryl was actively asking questions on different aspects of the plan. It is never too late “I am really impressed with the whole farm plan that my son to prepare a whole prepared”, Daryl told me. He told me that his son is using his farm plan – a view plan not only for his channels and drainage construction but from a landowner. also using to manage the whole of his property. Daryl told me that he use to be a landform / laser grader for the last several years. He has lasered some parts of his farm without preparing a whole farm plan. “At that time I was looking at the farm in bit and pieces”, Daryl told me. “I was doing the lasering as resources became available and never thought of linking it as a whole farm”. “Now I would like to see how my lasered paddocks will fit with the rest of the farm during the process of developing this whole farm plan”, he told me. Daryl also told me that he is looking forward to his whole farm plan and would then be interested in accessing an incentive for the reuse system after that. “I thought that I knew everything on my farm and never needed a whole farm plan until I saw my son using his plan to manage his whole property”. Daryl thinks that it is never too late to start one for his own property and feels that he is moving in a right direction. Why do you think this is a significant change? This story identifies the changes that the landowner went through in relation to his belief, attitude and behaviour. These changes, in this case, didn’t come from a change agent, but from getting exposure from another farmer, who he can relate to. People adopt change by What difference has it made already? looking and learning from The interesting aspects from this story are the changes in others who are similar to a landowner’s attitude towards whole farm planning, and them – an old and reliable mantra of extension. DPI –Sustainable Irrigated Landscapes – Goulburn Broken – 2003/2004 Page 5 an appreciation from a landowner as to what changes are needed to make him adopt a whole farm. What difference will the change make in the future? The landowner will be using his whole farm plan to manage his irrigation and other resources in the farm. He will be installing a reuse system and will be recycling it to its full potential. This story also strengthens our belief that people usually change by looking and learning from others who are similar to them. How does this link into the GB Regional Catchment Strategy? The main aim of GB Regional Catchment is to manage irrigation water efficiently on farm. Landowners coming from the status quo and implementing some of the programs promoted by the GBRC are significant achievements in the catchment. DPI –Sustainable Irrigated Landscapes – Goulburn Broken – 2003/2004 Page 6 Evaporation basins – are they as bad as people think? Name of person recording the Story : Terence Batey Who was involved in the story? Frank Taylor (landowner); Terence Batey (groundwater officer) When did this story happen? early 1980’s up until the present day Date of narration: February 2003 Domain Of Change: Changes in landowner or community attitudes What happened? In 1981, groundwater pumping from shallow aquifers, with off-farm disposal, to provide salinity control to a group of properties began near Girgarre in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria. The local community pushed very hard for groundwater pumping to control high watertables. However, the groundwater salinity limited salt export and a community evaporation basin was proposed. Frank Taylor, who has been a part of the Girgarre Salinity Control Project since its inception, remembers the “salt was coming up the bays at 2 metres per month and it left a white tinge on the soil. We tried mole drains, tall wheat grass, fescues, gypsum and strawberry clover with no luck”. Groundwater pumping with an evaporation basin is now seen as the saviour for farming in the area. Frank recalls how “after about 12 months of the pumps being installed new growth was apparent in areas previously salt affected”. Complimenting new pasture growth, Frank and his family planted out some 3000 trees that have grown 1-1.5 metres per year. “In the mid eighties we lost all out trees from high watertables but now we have recovered all our land” Frank says.