Ten young farmers will be chosen to join the ‘Carbon Bus’ on an inaugural three-day tour of research sites and innovative farms in northern Queensland, launching the national ‘Future Farmers and the Carbon Farming Futures’ initiative. Source: Timberbiz
The tour leaves from Townsville on 17 March and will visit Lansdown Research Station, ‘Trafalgar’ Station, ‘Wambiana’ Station and the Wambiana Research Site.
Participants will hear from leading specialists in climate science and agriculture, including Professor Snow Barlow from the University of Melbourne, Dr Ed Charmley from Livestock Environmental Systems at the CSIRO, outstanding producers and climate champions from the district.
Applications are open for 10 fully funded places and the project is calling on innovative farmers and agribusiness professionals aged from 21-35 to apply.
Applications close on Friday 7 February 2014.
‘Future Farmers and the Carbon Farming Futures’ is a national project devised by Sefton & Associates, in partnership with the Future Farmers Network, supported by funding from the Australian Government.
The QLD “Carbon Bus” tour will be followed by a similar Victorian tour in September.
Over the coming 12 months there will be field tours, virtual site tours and webinars, and working on case studies, media relations and social media activities.
For information and an application form visit www.futurefarmers.com.au, or email [email protected] or call 02 6766 5222.
A sawmill owner in South Australia’s Southern Flinders Ranges said half its workforce could be cut after bushfires ripped through the region damaging the local sources of timber. Sources: ABC News, The West Australian
At least 75% of the plantation pine in the Wirrabara Forest was destroyed in the Bangor fire over the weekend with 60% of the Bundaleer Forest lost in fires last year.
Luke Morgan’s family owns the only remaining sawmill in the region at Jamestown, which is the biggest local private employer with 44 workers.
He said if a supply of timber cannot be found he will be forced to lay-off staff.
“What we’ve lost now we need to get from another source later on from the Adelaide hills or wherever we can get it from and give the forest a break to let it regrow,” he said.
“Unless we can get log elsewhere later on we’ll have to halve what we do now.
“All the jobs could be lost. If we have to downsize we become less competitive because your fix costs stay.
“The less you can produce the more expensive that piece of wood costs to sell so the more you produce the better off you are in this game.”
Morgan said he will meet with representatives from Forestry SA to discuss his options.
“Replanting is the first step and then replacing what has been taken through another source so that we can continue manufacturing at the same rate we’re doing now,” he said.
