THE time may be ideal for many producers to look at water storage works if they have no crop in the ground and their system is dry.
With that in mind, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is encouraging farmers to invest in vital water savings infrastructure, with the closing date for water loss assessment submissions fast approaching.
DPI Leader Sustaining the Basin, Michael Grabham, said eligible irrigators can currently apply for funding through the Sustaining the Basin: Irrigated Farm Modernisation (STBIFM) program and invest in new irrigation infrastructure to improve on-farm water use.
“Submissions close in only one week, and it is a timely reminder for irrigators of the importance of on-farm water efficiency,” Dr Grabham said.
“This program provides cost-effective solutions to help achieve water savings, efficient on-farm systems and storages."
Irrigated Farm Water Use Efficiency Assessments (IFWUEAs) must be submitted by August 29, with infrastructure modernisation proposals to address the losses identified in the IFWUEA due by October 17.
Completing an IFWUEA is now a prerequisite to applying for infrastructure funding.
Dr Grabham said changes to IFWUEAs in Round 3 have simplified the process for irrigators and industry feedback was generally supporting these changes.
“The IFWUEA previously required a full farm assessment but it is now a simple assessment of on-farm irrigation water losses, with subsidies available of up to 80 percent of the costs to a maximum of $2000 per farm business,” Dr Grabham said.
The STBIFM project is funded by the Australian Government’s Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program.
Further information and resources are available on the DPI website at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/resources/water/irrigation/sustaining-the-basin.
