Cultivation

Create a cultivation plan

Having a plan and a map that highlights the ins-and-outs of your farm – including the environmental hazards and regulatory expectations. This will help ensure the work is completed efficiently, economically and environmentally responsibly. Comprehensive planning also reduces the risks of miscommunication.

Both landholders and contractors have a regulatory responsibility to protect waterways on farm and work within the rules that apply to the area. Should works be carried out on the property in breach of the rules or damage caused to a waterway – both the landholder and the contractor could be liable.

A checklist for your property

Running your contractor through expectations and a checklist particular to your property before starting is a useful way to ensure positive outcomes. Here are some broad items to consider before you contract works:

• Know the regulations that apply to the activity and area.
• Share the health and safety requirements on-farm including a map with hazards.
• Make sure the contractor is suitably qualified and/or has industry credentials; that the job has been communicated properly; that the appropriate equipment, seed, fertiliser chemical is available, and they have the correct product and rate recommendations for the job.
• Use proof-of-placement technology for nutrient and chemical applications. Should there be an issue with placement you’ll have records available to review. Proof-of-placement can also help with N-Cap reporting on dairy operations.
• Take note of the weather conditions and notify your contractor if the conditions on farm are not suitable for the work in advance.
• Ensure the contactor is aware of rules around waterways and are shown where any buffer zones and sensitive areas (including wetlands and critical source areas) are located. You can mark out these areas physically using temporary fencing or flags and can be mapped in software such as TrackMap.