Projects

• Dairy Effluent Management
• Greenhouse Gas Accounting
• Irrigation Feasibility and Water Requirements
• Property Management Planning
• Salinity Risk Assessment and Management
• Agricultural Land Study

Dairy Effluent Management

AK Consultants worked with Badcock Irrigation Services to prepare Dairy Effluent Management Plans for 180 dairy farms throughout Tasmania. These plans were prepared for Dairy Tas with funding from the Tasmanian NRM organisations, and they described changes to effluent systems required to lift the effluent management to “Best Practice”.

Some Local Councils require effluent management plans prior to granting approval for the construction of new dairy sheds, and Robin and David have completed a number of plans in various dairying areas in the state. These plans focus on the land application of effluent and ensuring the risks of surface and groundwater pollution are minimised.

The Tasmanian Dairy Industry Authority has drafted a Code of Practice for dairy effluent management. Indications are that compliance with the Code will become a requirement to operate a dairy in 2011. David and Robin have recently completed the Dairy Effluent System Designers Course run by the National Centre for Dairy Education, and are qualified to provide advice and deliver effluent. management plans.

Greenhouse Gas Accounting

Greenhouse gas audits were undertaken by Ruth Hall for approximately 20 mixed farms in the Tamar Valley for Tamar Natural Resource Management Reference Group. The audits used a greenhouse gas emissions calculator called the Decision Support Framework for Greenhouse Accounting on Australian Dairy, Sheep, Beef or Grain Farms developed by the Victorian Department of Primary Industries in conjunction with Melbourne University. We also have experience with FarmGas developed by the Australian Farm Institute. Both these calculators are part of the National Carbon Accounting Toolbox.

The results consistently showed that the majority of emissions from these farms are enteric methane (i.e. methane produced by rumen fermentation in sheep and cattle). The use of nitrogen fertilisers provided some emissions, with some direct carbon dioxide emissions from fuel usage as well. On a number of farms plantations of Eucalypts were identified as providing an offset for some of the GHG emissions. The numbers suggest that extensive livestock grazing enterprises could potentially offset all their greenhouse gas emissions by planting around 20-30% of the farm to trees.

Irrigation Feasibility and Water Requirements

AK Consultants has undertaken a number of projects for farmers (Farm Water Development Plans) and the Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board, and contributed to Presentation at the Southern Farming Systems Irrigation forum held at Avoca on the economics of irrigation. Particular studies and presentations include the following:

• February 2010; Southern Midlands Council irrigation forum at Oatlands; outlining the information farmers need to consider the question, “Should I become an irrigator ?”
• Jordan River valley irrigation feasibility study for the Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board; this project assessed the area of irrigable land and potential water requirement.
• Meander district irrigation feasibility study for the Department of Primary Industry and Water, Tasmania (project conducted in association with National Strategic Services).
• Midlands’s irrigation feasibility study for the Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board, in association with Davey & Maynard.
• Assessment of the potential demand for water for irrigation by riparian landholders along the lower reaches of the Ouse River (with Davey and Maynard and Badcock Irrigation Services).
  Royal George irrigation feasibility study for the Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board in association with Davey and Maynard.
• Whitemore irrigation feasibility study for the Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board (in conjunction with TIAR). This project o assessed the potential impact of irrigation and the pipeline construction activities on the soils in the Hagley-Whitemore area.

AK Consultants completed more than 20 Farm Water Development Plans under a program promoted and subsidised by DPIPWE.

Property Management Planning – Water Access Plans

AK Consultants has contributed to specialist workshop sessions on irrigation economics and land leasing for participants in Property Management Planning groups.
We (in association with other consultants) are accredited to deliver Property Management Planning modules for NRM North Projects, TIDB Water Access Plans, and Sustainable Farms Tasmania.

Salinity Risk Assessment and Management

AK Consultants in association with Hocking et al and Agricultural Resource Management delivered 42 Salinity Management Plans in the National Action Plan area of Tasmania for NRM North. The objective of the plans was to document the assessed salinity risks under current land use, and the potential impacts of irrigation.

David Armstrong coordinated the Land Degradation and Salinity Risk project for the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Tasmania. This project involved a number of DPIPWE and other investigators to consider the potential impacts of more intensive land use, particularly irrigated cropping, on environmental sustainability.

A number of training courses on salinity management were conducted for farmers under the Best Practice Salinity Management Project.

Agricultural Land Study

Understanding the inherent value of agriculture to the economy and the nature and distribution of agricultural activities across a municipality is crucial for strategic planning purposes. Assessment of the main enterprises and their resource needs and the potential impacts of non-agricultural developments on the agricultural resource base has been a growing area of consulting for AK Consultants in recent years. This combined with the requirements of the State Policy on the Protection of Agricultural Land 2009, has led to an increasing interaction between municipal planners and AK Consultants and development of a methodology that identifies the important agricultural activities in a municipality and areas in the Rural Zone that are already constrained as far as potential agricultural use.

This method was initially developed for the Meander Valley Council (in conjunction with GHD) in 2006 and then improved substantially to incorporate a GIS model in conjunction with the Launceston City Council. The methodology is comprised of three sequential developed products; Agricultural Profile of the Municipality, Constraints Analysis and GIS model. In Dec 2010 an Agricultural profile was undertaken for the eight municipalities in the Northern Region and a Regional Summary was completed for Northern Tasmania Development. This provides a valuable reference document for strategic planning purposes.

The Constraints Analysis is an automated GIS based procedure which assesses each title in the Rural Zone, and rates the extent to which its’ value for agriculture has been constrained. The constraints analysis considers the characteristics of each title, including the size and presence of a house on the title, the potential for a proposed development to fetter agricultural use and development on the title, and “connectivity” with adjacent titles. Connectivity refers to the extent to which a title can be farmed in conjunction with adjacent titles.

This assessment procedure has practical value in the assessment of land in the “peri-urban” zone where there is strong demand for agricultural land for use as “life style” or low density residential uses. The procedures provide a consistent, transparent and repeatable procedure for the assessment of the degree of constraint on the title to conduct agricultural activities. A constraints analysis of titles in the Rural Zone has been undertaken for Meander Valley, Launceston and West Tamar Municipalities.

As part of this work and to assist in developing a common understanding of the requirements the State policy on the Protection of Agricultural Land 2009, AKC has developed standard definitions for commonly used terms such viability, connectivity, integral and subservient.