Whole of paddock rehabilitation Landholders that have areas of 10ha or more of degraded box gum woodland can apply under this program. Greening Australia will carry out a 5 year restoration program of revegetation involving stewardship payments for loss of income during rehabilitation. EOIs open now, assessed on a first come first served basis.

For more info: Graham Fifield (02) 6253 3035 or email: wopr@greeningaustralia.org.au

Ian Potter Foundation:

The aim of this Program Area is to support Australian urban and regional communities to live sustainably and preserve biodiversity. Applications for $100,000 or more are received via an Expression of Interest process (ongoing). Applications of up to $20,000 closes 28th May.

For more info: http://foundation.ianpotter.org.au/environment-amp-conservation

Australian Bird Environment Foundation:

Applications for small grants (up to $3,500) for conservation projects. ABEF Grants have supported practical conservation project such as native plantings for revegetation and fencing of remnant vegetation; research and survey of the needs of Australian birds and their habitats and public education such as provision of information brochures, signage and posters. Closes 31 May.

For more info: http://www.boca.org.au/conservation/abef

Environmental Trust:

Protecting our Places grants. Grants of between $2,000 and $35,000 are available to protect land that is culturally significant to Aboriginal people and to support education projects about the environment and its importance in Aboriginal life. An information session about the grant will be held in Wellington on the 3 May. Closes 1 June.

For more info: (02) 8837 6093, info@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au or http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/grants/pop.htm You can also call the Aboriginal Programs Officer Jessica Herder and leave a message on (02) 8837 6399.

Indigenous Heritage Program:

$3.645 million to support the identification, conservation, and promotion of heritage places important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Incorporated organisations can apply for projects up to $100,000 (exGST), Individuals up to $10,000. Applications for larger amounts may be considered where the applicant demonstrates special circumstances or a genuine requirement for additional funds. Eligible organisations may also apply for triennial funding up to $250,000 (exGST) through one application, but with annual reporting on outcomes. Closes 11 June.

For more info: http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/programs/ihp/index.html

NAB Schools First Award grants:

Applications for the 2012 NAB Schools First Awards are now open. This year, $3 million in funding is available to 130 outstanding school-community partnerships.

Closes 29th June. http://www.schoolsfirst.edu.au/

Solar grant for Australian Schools:

The Australian Government is providing generous grant of up to $50,000 available for each school in Australia to install grid connected solar power.

Available until June 2013, for more information visit www.energymatters.com.au

Australian Ethical Investment and Super, Community Grants:

$3,500 – $35,000 for projects that deliver tangible outcomes in alignment with the organisations charter.

Closes 1 July. For more info http://australianethical.com.au/supporting-community

Perfect Patch of Green:

Turf Australia and Junior Landcare are offering 15 green makeovers to schools and youth groups across Australia, which will see up to 100,000m2 of natural turf professionally laid in school grounds and recreation areas. All schools, including preschools and kindergartens, as well as youth groups including Scouts, Girl Guides and other community organisations that involve and support young people are eligible.

Closes July 31st. For more information on how your school or group can apply for a green makeover, visit www.juniorlandcare.com.au

Young farmer & student bursaries:

Australian Agronomy Conference. The Australian Society of Agronomy is inviting young farmers (35 years and under) to apply for a grant to cover free registration plus up to $800 to cover travel and accommodation expenses to attend the 2012 Australian Agronomy Conference. The Society is also offering bursaries to support students undertaking tertiary studies in agriculture or a related field, with these awards covering free conference registration and up to $500 to cover travel and accommodation expenses to attend the conference. Preference will be given to students who present a paper at the conference.

For more info: http://www.agronomy.org.au/awards/conference-bursary.htm

Nuffield Australia Farming Scholarships:

Applications are now open for the 2013 Nuffield Australia Farming Scholarships. These prestigious scholarships are awarded each year to Australian farmers, with the objective of increasing practical farming knowledge and management skills and techniques generally. The scholarships give Australian citizens the opportunity to study farming practices in New Zealand, Europe, Asia and the Americas and those countries best suited to each scholar. They also promote a closer understanding between farmers in the countries visited. Upon returning to Australia it is expected that scholars will be able to actively spread the knowledge and understanding they have gained among their fellow farmers and others.

For more info: http://nuffield.com.au/schols.html

Irrigation Modernisation Planning Assistance:

As part of Water for the Future, this program provides up to $350K to help irrigation water providers to develop modernisation plans for their districts that identify ways to upgrade irrigation infrastructure and assess options to adapt to a future with less water. Closes 29 October, unless all available funds are committed earlier.

For more info: waterplanenquiries@environment.gov.au. or
http://www.environment.gov.au/water/programs/srwui/impa.html

FIELD DAYS / WORKSHOPS

Farm Business Boot Camp GREEN.

An intensive program around the principles of Holistic Management. Commitment: 6 days + work at home. Aim: your land starting to show positive impacts and your overall business improving from the ground up, making a lasting change to how you see and manage your land.

Cost: No cost! Limited to 20 people so get in quick. Course start date: Dubbo 12th June. For more info: Mark Gardner, Vanguard Business Services, mark.gardner@vbs.net.au ph: 026885 1925

Parkes Ag’n'Chat group Farmhouse Workshop.

23rd May. Parkes Neighbourhood Centre. 9.30am – 3pm. David Evans, Optimal Business Services (Sthn NSW) Pty Ltd and Di Pritchard, Rural Support Worker to cover: Know and manage your farm household finances, Develop a step by step budget for all family members, Explore each area of family expenditure, Assess the impact of changes in interest rate, Link to farm business budgeting and performance, Get the whole family financially ready for whatever the future may deliver.

Lunch & morning tea provided. BYO laptop. Numbers are limited, to register contact:
Katrina McDougall, NSW PinG nsw@partnersingrain.org.au Ph. 0403 295 554 or Kath Mann, LCMA kath.mann@cma.nsw.gov.au Ph: 6816 3212 0428 646 235

Healthy Soils, Healthy Plants, Healthy People.

May 23rd. 9.30am — 4pm. Rahamim Ecological Learning Community Centre, Bathurst. Facilitated by Walter Jehne. This workshop will explore the science of creating and maintaining healthy soils which in turn create healthy plants which provide good nutrition for human and animal development.Walter Jehne is a soil microbiologist with research experience in CSIRO and extensive work in government and industry. In his work with Healthy Soils Australia, he has been involved in assisting landholders to access and implement innovative soil management and remedial solutions. He is a member of the Sustainability Science team and has a keen interest in developing autonomous water systems.

$30 — includes lunch. RSVP to the Rahamim Centre on 6332 9950 / contact@rahamim.org.au

Screening of FOOD Matters.

24th May, 6pm. Hosted by Dubbo Community Garden and Healthy Life (Darling Street). Gold coin donation, Light supper provided. Orana Baptist Church, Palmer Street, Dubbo.

RSVP to Carol Maybury 0418603350 or dubbocommunitygarden@hotmail.com

Farm Day.

May 26-27. Register your farm and host a city family over the course of the weekend. A great chance to show what farming is all about on this side of the range!

For more info: http://www.farmday.com.au/

Farm Trees Field Day, Bathurst & Mudgee.

29 May – “Willowglen” Bathurst, 9.30am – 1.30pm. 12 June – Mudgee (TBA).

For more info: Contact: Bathurst day – Clayton Miller, Catchment Officer – Tablelands, (02) 6339 4905 clayton.miller@cma.nsw.gov.au Weblink: http://cw.cma.nsw.gov.au/announcements/farm-trees-field-day-bathurst

2012 Conservation Agriculture Conference.

23 July. Yoogali Club, Griffith. Preparations are going well with international speaker Roberto Peiretti and his wife Cintia Castignino keenly making arrangements for their forthcoming visit from Argentina.

Further details will be posted on the website and in the e-bulletin as they become available. http://www.canfa.com.au/

OTHER

New Weeds Ute Guide App:

The Weeds Ute Guide Application has recently been released by GRDC. It is designed to be used in the paddock by growers to assist in the identification of the most common, annual, biennial and perennials weeds in Southern Australia. Each weed has a calendar to show which month/s the weed is likely to be present in the paddock. The application allows users to search, identify, compare and email photographs of weeds to their networks.

To download the app: http://www.grdc.com.au/director/events/apps

2012 Conservation Farmer of the Year (CFOTY) Awards Nominations Open Now.

The Award is in its 17th year. We thank our CMA sponsors for supporting us in recognising our leading farmers.

The nomination form is available on the CFOTY Award page of the website http://www.canfa.com.au/ Deadline 15 June.

Wetlandcare Art Competition Winners and Exhibition:

You may be interested to see the winning entries in the annual WetlandCare Art and Photo competition. They can be viewed as an online gallery on the WetlandCare website at the following link: http://www.wetlandcare.com.au/index.php?cID=436 The Central West CMA will be showing some of the art entries and winners at local galleries in our smaller towns in a series of exhibitions around the region. The works will be shown in Wellington, Gulargambone, Coonamble, Pilliga Discovery Centre, and Coolah.

Stay tuned for more info.

The National Centre for Farmer Health will provide a number of scholarships to financially assist students who would like to undertake further study in the area of Agricultural Health and Medicine.

Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities is a postgraduate unit offered through Deakin University, School of Medicine.  It will run from 9th July – 19th October, 2012 and is completed entirely online and can be undertaken as either a single professional development unit or as an elective toward a postgraduate qualification.

The curriculum has been developed to be relevant to nurses, general practitioners, veterinarians, health specialists, policy makers, allied health, rural and agricultural professionals.  This unit will detail the health, well-being and safety issues experienced by agricultural populations and develop the next generation of rural and agricultural health leaders.

The scholarships are valued at $750 can be used by successful applicants to subsidise unit fees.

Selection criteria

Preference will be given to applicants who do not have access to financial support from either their workplace or other funding agencies.  Individuals living or working in rural and remote areas, postgraduate students and non-government employees are encouraged to apply.  Professionals with a track record of commitment to rural health are also eligible for funding.

How to apply

Please complete the online form at http://www.farmerhealth.org.au/?q=node/2954

Further information

If you would like more information about the Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities course HMF702, The Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Medicine or the scholarship application please visit our website at www.farmerhealth.org.au or contact us at the National Centre for Farmer Health.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The funding, announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, will coincide with a number of initiatives that will revitalise the award and broaden its appeal and reach.

The Rural Industries R&D Corporation’s Managing Director, Craig Burns said the Award plays an important role in both promoting the role of rural women and helping to build their leadership capabilities.

“The Rural Women’s Award is the nation’s largest, most highly regarded and most prominent award for rural women,” Mr Burns said.

“The next few years will be a very exciting time for the Rural Women’s Award and the $75,000 in Commonwealth funding for each of the next three years will allow the Rural Industries R&D Corporation to further establish it as the peak Award for Australia’s rural women.

“We want as many Australian women to know about the Award and to get involved by either being nominated themselves or nominating someone else. In the next few years we’ll be actively going about making sure as many of Australia’s women are exposed to the Award in one way or another.

“We are excited about the future of the Award and despite its longevity there is great potential for the Award to develop and grow and become more contemporary and accessible to a wider number of Australian rural women.”

The Award’s state and territory winners receive a $10,000 financial bursary to implement their award vision.

Each state winner and runner-up also has the opportunity to participate in an Australian Institute of Company Directors learning program and is supported to develop an individual integrated leadership plan.

The Rural Women’s Award 2012 Celebratory Dinner, where the national winner is announced, will be held on 9 October at Parliament House in Canberra. Traditionally held in May, the national Award dinner has been moved to later in the year to allow for the state finalists to implement their award vision, which is funded by their bursaries, before the national winner is announced.

The RIRDC Rural Women’s Award is open to all women involved in primary industries and natural resource management and no formal qualifications are required.

The Award’s national partner is the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and its national sponsors are Westpac Banking Corporation, OUTBACK magazine, ABC Radio and Rural Press Ltd.

Media enquiries:
Damon Whittock – RIRDC Public Affairs Manager – 02 6271 4175 or 0458 215 604

(Source: http://www.rirdc.gov.au/news-&-events/news-display.cfm?article=F2753A07-C41C-3DDA-3A61-46F3588FC4D2)

Check out The Country Web Autumn 2012 from the NSW Goverment. In this edition you can read stories about women farmers and the role they have played in helping to shape and build our rural industries. Some of the women featured include:

• Social media activist and lawyer Danica Leys who won the 2012 NSW & ACT RIRDC Rural Women’s Award
• Corinne Annetts – a boutique goat farmer from Uralla and runner-up in the 2012 Rural Women’s Award
• Fiona Simson – NSW Farmers first woman president
• Pam Brook – a former Dentist and now gourmet macadamia grower

View the current issue now!

A new article from BlackboardBlogs. The National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC), a not-for-profit organisation, is using Blackboard Collaborate to reach women in rural, regional, and remote areas in Australia in a way they never could before.

[Read More...]

Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people between the ages of 16 and 25, who are passionate about making positive changes in their communities, are invited to apply. In all, 48 young people will be chosen to represent their communities and have the chance to speak up on issues that are important to them during the Youth Parliament, which will be held in late May 2012.

Participants will undergo a training weekend in April, where they will learn to draft a parliamentary bill. They will then attend a week-long residential program in Canberra and present their bills in the Old Parliament House. Social activities and opportunities to meet MPs are also included.

To download an application pack, go to the following Australian Electoral Commission web page: http://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/indigenous_vote/niyp.htm The closing date for applications is 30 March and cost for participation is $200 (all other costs including accommodation, if necessary, will be covered).

Sources: Youth Field Xpress, No. 186, February 2012  /  AYF News (electronic newsletter of the Australian Youth Forum), 16 February 2012.

Read more here: http://www.actionaid.org/activista/2012/03/power-rural-women’s-network…

• Family violence
• Rural health
• Development of the National Rural Womens’ Network
• The federal budget- how can we get a slice of the pie?
• Housing policy and older women

As Australian rural communities continue to face a multitude of challenges, online technologies help to bridge the gaps created by distance. The five topics covered in the E-Learning & Leadership Program include Building Leaders, Better Business Skills, Networking and Social Media, Community Capacity Building and Climate Change Action. Each topic was delivered by a presenter using Blackboard Collaborate, an interactive, online learning environment to the 20 program participants across rural Australia.