Sunshine Coast agribusinesses will join forces this month to get tips and tricks on how to best access, manage and distribute our valuable water supplies.
Agribusiness will meet with professionals from government agencies, commercial clean tech solutions providers and support agencies to share their insights.
Sunshine Coast Council is proud to support local businesses to learn tips and tricks on topics including irrigation, water and soil quality, managing water courses and riparian fencing, drought relief and subsidies, mapping and land management.
Jade King, of Green Valley Fingerlimes on the Sunshine Coast is excited to speak at the event, which she says has been a long time in the making and has been needed by the local agribusiness community.
“Water efficiency is more than just how much water we use, it is the integration of irrigation techniques, monitoring, farm management options to conserve soil moisture, effective control of water runoff, nutrient monitoring and so much more,” she says.
“Addressing these results in more sustainable farming and increased productivity. Furthermore, landholders, as stewards of their land, should always be aiming to leave their land better than when it came to them, for the benefit of future generations. This is what we continually aim for at Green Valley Fingerlimes.”
The informative and educational Agribusiness event features a great selection of keynote speakers who will share case studies and participate in panel sessions about solutions and best practice around water storage, distribution, efficiencies and access in the agribusiness environment.
Division 9 Councillor Steve Robinson says all local growers, primary producers as well as food and agribusiness manufacturers and processors should add this event to their calendars.
“Sunshine Coast Agribusiness contributes over $700 million to our local economy and is one of our high value industries. Water access and management is an ongoing challenge for many of our local businesses and we have put this event together to give them the best opportunities to access support, information and the latest in clean technology solutions,” Cr Robinson says.
“We know that for small businesses it is hard to make the decision to stop work for the day to attend an event, but this FREE event really is for you.
“Council has funded this opportunity to help you get the best access to information, funding, latest developments and technology and to improve the sustainability of your business.
“Come and connect with a range of government agencies and authorities and tap into knowledge and resources relevant to your agribusiness.”
Clean Tech Industries Sunshine Coast (CISC) will also support a mini expo of local solution providers who provide solutions from the Sunshine Coast region (water, waste, energy and environment) to the Agribusiness industry.
EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Tuesday 25 June 2019
Time: 8.30am – 3.30pm
Venue: Venue 114, 114 Sportsman Parade, Bokarina
Cost: Fully subsidised by Sunshine Coast Council with refreshments and lunch
Register: Go to eventbrite – https://bit.ly/2X2tjHT
Speakers include:
Susie Chapman – Healthy Land and Water & Rhiannon Robinson – Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
Healthy Land and Water and the Department of Agriculture and Fishers are partners doing important agricultural sustainability (water-related) projects in the Beerwah area, under the umbrella of our Pumicestone Passage Catchment Action Plan.
Scott Robinson – Polyculture
Water Harvesting methods, examples of best practices, case studies and discussion around methods that can be applied to attendee’s farms. Storage: An exploration of possible methods and some unlikely options that work. Contour swales: How best to position and use them to benefit the farm and aid in water storage and erosion prevention. Soil Hydration: What soil health does for long-term hydration. Unwanted water and what we can do to use it. Irrigation options based on topography, budget and power sources
Kim Rogers – Department of Natural Resources Management
Provide information on access to Government Grant Funding to support businesses.
