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Lion Dairy Pride

Landcare Grants 2019

Guidelines & Criteria

Landcare Australia www.landcareaustralia.org.au

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Lion Dairy Pride Landcare Grants 2019

Guidelines for Applicants

Lion, in partnership with Landcare Australia, is inviting eligible groups to apply for a 2019 Lion Dairy

Pride Landcare Grant. As part of Lion’s efforts to create long-term, mutually-beneficial partnerships

with Lion farmers, the Lion Dairy Pride Landcare Grants program supports dairy farmers in improving

the sustainability, productivity and profitability of their farms.

Projects must address at least one of the two priority funding areas:

• Improve on-farm biodiversity and land management; and / or

• Improve energy efficiency.

To determine whether your project is eligible, please see the eligibility and assessment criteria

sections below.

Project Funding Available

A total funding pool of $80,000.00 (ex GST) is available for eight (8) grants, of up to $10,000 (ex GST)

per project.

Enquiries & Assistance

If you have any questions after reading these guidelines, please call (02) 8440 8819, or email:

[email protected]

If you need assistance with your application, please contact your local Lion Farm Services

representative. They may be able to refer you to an industry specialist who can recommend

equipment to best suit your dairy farm.

Key Dates

Applications open Monday 4th March, 2019

Applications close Thursday, 18 April 2019, 5pm (AEST)

Successful applicants notified May, 2019

Progress Report due Friday 30th August, 2019

Project completed and Final Report due Friday 20th December, 2019

mailto:g[email protected]?subject=Re:%20Lion%20Landcare%20Grants%202019

Landcare Australia www.landcareaustralia.org.au

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Eligibility

Your farming business is eligible to apply for a Lion Dairy Pride Landcare Grant 2019 if it supplies milk

directly to Lion, or is part of the Dairy Famers Milk Co-operative (DFMC).

Your project must address at least one of the two priority areas below:

• Improve on-farm biodiversity and land management, e.g. through supporting

improvements to biodiversity, nutrient water management, water usage efficiency and / or

reducing erosion impacts; and / or

• Improve the energy efficiency of your farm, e.g. through reducing energy consumption and

/ or implementing renewable energy infrastructure.

Grant-specific conditions:

• Water usage efficiency projects to provide evidence showing litres saving for reuse and water

saving infrastructure projects.

• Energy efficiency projects are required to provide evidence of a reduction in energy usage (in

kilowatt hours (kWh), and tonnes of carbon), for at least 12 months before, and 12 months

after grant funds are provided.

• All applicants are required to undertake and provide their DairySAT as part of their application.

DairySAT is an environmental self-assessment tool for Australian dairy farmers.

• While past recipients are welcome to apply, preference will be given to applicants who did

not receive Lion Landcare funding in the 2018 year.

• Funding must not be used for political or religious organisations, fundraising dinners or events,

debt reduction activities, and / or the purchase of vehicles, computers or media equipment.

General Terms and Conditions

Landcare Australia is responsible for administering the funding for this grant. Prior to receiving

funding, you will be required to agree to the Landcare Australia Grants - terms and conditions.

http://www.dairysat.com.au/ https://landcareaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/TAC001-Landcare-Australia-Grants-Terms-and-Conditions-V.2.pdf

Landcare Australia www.landcareaustralia.org.au

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Priority Funding Areas

The headings below outline the different project areas that will fit into the overall desired grant

outcomes of ‘Improving on-farm biodiversity and land management’ and ‘Improving on-farm energy

efficiency’. A summary of each project area, and how it fits in with dairy farming, is explained below.

Links to more in-depth information along with case studies of real life examples are also provided

below. These resources are great for helping deciding on the right type of project for your farm.

1. Improving on-farm biodiversity and land management

Improving nutrient management

Adequate nutrition for pastures and fodder crops is essential for profitable dairy farms. Inputs

such as fertiliser (which is a significant operational cost), effluent and manure are the primary

sources of nutrients and nutrient loss from farms. Farm nutrient loss is costly, and can degrade

waterways, groundwater, habitat for local fauna, and contribute to greenhouse gases.

The pathways and causes of nutrient loss are well understood, and farmers in recent times have

been using tools such as the Farm Nutrient Loss Index (FNLI) and Nutrient Management Plans to

simultaneously identify profitability, and environmental risks.

Opportunities to reduce these risks include nutrient budgeting for differing farm management

zones, spreading effluent over larger areas with buffer zones for drainage lines / creeks,

controlling drainage from hardstand areas and lanes, and composting waste.

Reducing erosion impacts

Implementing erosion control on farms protects invaluable soil resources, as well as provides

productivity and profitability benefits. Soil is essentially a non-renewable resource, because it can

erode much faster than it is created. Preventing erosion and the movement of sediment also has

a significant beneficial impact on water quality and aquatic ecosystems in creeks and rivers.

Maintaining healthy native vegetation around farms can assist stabilise soils and greatly reduce

the potential for erosion.

Preventing erosion and / or rehabilitating actively eroding areas early on can greatly reduce the

impact on farm operations and costs. For example, preventing or repairing gully formation

increases the efficiency of machinery operations, reduces the reliance on expensive manual

works, and often reduces requirement for fertiliser inputs. Designing your farm layout to reduce

potential erosion, particularly in regard to drainage plans, diversion structures and ground cover

maintenance, significantly reduces the time, costs and lost productivity involved in repairing

More information and examples of erosion and nutrient management projects:

• Managing Dairy Farm Effluent (Gipps Dairy)

• Maximising your fertiliser $ with whole farm soil analysis & mapping (Dairy Australia)

http://www.asris.csiro.au/themes/nutrient.html#Nutrient_FNLI http://fertsmart.dairyingfortomorrow.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/P1.00303-GippsDairy-Managing-Dairy-Effluent.pdf http://frds.dairyaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/WP1340-Nutrient-management-case-studies.pdf

Landcare Australia www.landcareaustralia.org.au

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• Cradle Coast NRM & DairyTas – Soil Nutrient Management project (Dairy Tas)

• Effluent Management Video Series (Dairy Australia)

• Dairy waste (Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation)

Installing water-saving products/infrastructure

In these times of rainfall variability, climate change and drought, implementing water saving

infrastructure helps dairy farms to be more resilient to water shortages. Being water-use efficient

and being prepared for reduced access to water and to ensure water supplies are maintained for

as long as possible, and using available products and infrastructure can help. Water saving projects

may include water monitoring devices, better catchment and drainage, water recycling

infrastructure in the dairy.

Most water used on farms is for growing pastures through irrigation. Implementing better

irrigation infrastructure doesn’t just reduce water consumption but can also improve productivity.

Projects use a range of techniques to reduce water loss and environmental impacts of irrigation,

such as soil moisture technology, on-farm recycling and pressurised systems. Getting professional

industry advice for water-efficient infrastructure and innovative water-saving products is

invaluable to farmers.

Implementing water usage effic