Support available for Queensland MDB irrigators

Irrigators in the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin now have access to a range of support measures from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) thanks to a federally funded project.

The department’s senior research development officer for irrigation, Dr Simon White, said DAF is offering free one-on-one water productivity assessments to irrigators to help assess and benchmark their on-farm water use.

“This involves specialist DAF irrigation officers working closely with irrigators to identify ways of using better practices and water-efficiency technologies to improve underperforming areas of their system,” Dr White said.

“Also available is funding to assist irrigators in purchasing items and professional services to better measure and evaluate elements of their irrigation system.”

The first round of funding grants applications for irrigators in the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin will close on 30 June. Dr White encourages interested irrigators to apply.

“The critical first step in any assessment of field- or farm-level water productivity or water use efficiency is accurate measurement and recording,” he said.

“Only then can we make reliable decisions and changes in management to achieve quantifiable benefits.”

For more information, including how to apply, visit the DAF or More Profit per Drop websites.