Farm plans
- Before you begin
- Why have a farm plan?
- What is a farm plan?
- When do I need to complete a farm plan?
- Is Help Available?
Before you begin
Before you start developing new land for cane growing, seek advice from DNR as to the suitability of your land for cane production. Soil suitability studies have been undertaken in most cane growing areas.
DNR’s classification system takes into account:
- soil type;
- water holding capacity;
- salinity or sodicity hazard;
- stoniness; and
- erosion potential.
Other factors which affect the suitability of land for cane production include:
- environmental impacts and costs of levelling and drainage works;
- capital costs of irrigation infrastructure;
- risk of frost and drought; and
- distance to haul cane to the nearest siding
Why have a farm plan?
Some time in the future you may find yourself in the unenviable position of having to defend yourself against a claim that one of your farming activities has caused harm to the environment. Hopefully this won’t happen but if it does, evidence of good planning will assist in your legal defence. A written Farm Plan is a good way for you to demonstrate that you are managing technology in an environmentally friendly way.
Many growers use farm plans as the basis of planning the most effective, efficient and profitable use of resources on farm.
What is a farm plan?
A Farm Plan is a management tool. Your Farm Plan is a “living document” and you should aim to update it regularly as new information becomes available or your plans change.
Ideally the Farm Plan should be at a scale of 1:5000. Certainly the scale should be no greater than 1:10 000, depending on the available mapping information.
Your Farm Plan can include details such as:
- property boundaries;
- soil information at the most detailed available scale, but not greater than 1:25 000 should be used in drawing up Farm Plans;
- topography (contour of the land);
- cane blocks including row direction, cane variety, crop class (plant or ratoon);
- natural watercourses such as creeks, water flow paths, lagoons, wetlands;
- existing vegetation;
- proposed revegetation sites where appropriate;
- location of roads and headlands, both existing and proposed;
- water control structures such as contour banks, pipes and culverts;
- location of drains (existing and proposed) including bed width, depth and batter;
- location of silt traps, tailwater storages, lagoons or other water retention areas;
- type and design of most appropriate on-farm irrigation systems.
Local guidelines may request information on fertiliser rates as part of the farm plan. However, fertiliser rates should vary from year to year depending on soil test results.
When do I need to complete a farm plan?
Whilst many growers use a farm plan as a key tool in managing their business, it is not a compusory step unless:
New Growers
When you apply for a new Cane Production Area or an expansion of existing cane area, supply a Farm Plan with the application.
Existing Growers
You may need to have a Farm Plan if you operate an established cane farm and intend to apply for an increase in water allocation of more than 10% within an area controlled by the Department of Natural Resources.
Is Help Available?
Assistance with farm planning may be provided by your local offices of CANEGROWERS, BSES, DNR and DPI, or an accredited consultant.
CANEGROWERS will try to ensure that cane growers receive appropriate support in the development of Farm Plans from those organisations that provide the industry with research and extension services. However, you must accept the principal responsibility yourself of ensuring that your farming operations represent best practice and that they are properly documented.
