19 October 2006

FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR FARMERS TO INCREASE KNOWLEDGE

MIA EnviroWise has launched a new financial incentive program for primary producers in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. The incentive is aimed at making further education easier for local farming families and $2,000 per farming enterprise will go a fair way to helping with the costs of training courses that farmers may have put on the back burner during these financially uncertain and dry times.

“With reduced crops this year, the opportunity is there for farmers to take advantage of quieter farm activity to attend a variety of highly useful and practical short courses on offer, with the added bonus of not having to pay for them “, says Annette Pavese, MIA EnviroWise Coordinator.

It is hoped the incentive will encourage many farmers to expand their knowledge of on-farm topics covered during the FarmWise course as well as extend further into the business side of the farm with courses such as Phoenix and MYOB eligible under the education incentives scheme. Other eligible courses include the chemical users' certificate, farm business management, spray application training and the graduate certificate in irrigation. Murrumbidgee Irrigation encourages anyone interested to contact MIA EnviroWise Implementation Officers in either Griffith (Grant Gyles 6962 0208 / 0428 676 576) or Leeton (Kate Lightfoot 6953 0160 / 0427 228 492) to discuss the incentives and courses available.

On Friday 27 October, a one day course on Identification and Management of Native Grass Pastures for Agriculture and Conservation will be held at Cocoparra National Park near Yenda. It is a hands-on course with farmers encouraged to bring along samples of native grasses from their properties for identification. The course has been organised through Quality Rural Solutions and will be run by specialists in this field, Owen Whittaker and Alison Elvin. Land holders from Murrami, Yenda and Gogeldrie are already signed up for the day workshop but there are still some spaces available. Contact Grant or Kate from Murrumbidgee Irrigation to book in and take advantage of the financial incentive on offer to cover the course fee.

Education is a key tool to improvement and adding value to an enterprise as well as your own knowledge and skills base. Farmers are encouraged to take advantage of the financial incentives on offer through MIA EnviroWise and at the same time gain invaluable knowledge and skills for use on-farm.