Firewood depots open
The Rural City of Wangaratta’s firewood depots at Glenrowan and Eldorado opened to residents from 8.30am on Tuesday, April 29.
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This followed the CFA’s announcement that the north-east region’s Fire Danger Period had been lifted.
Those planning to gather firewood are advised to check the depots to make sure there is timber available, then purchase a permit from the Wangaratta Government Centre or the Glenrowan Post Office. Permits are not available to purchase from the Eldorado store this year.
The cost of a permit is $25 and $16.50 for concession cardholders, which allowed for collection of up to two cubic metres.
A chainsaw is required to cut wood into a manageable size and safety measures must be adhered to when collecting from the depots.
Accessing firewood from council depots without a permit would result in a fine.
Call to cut green tape
Farmers have called on federal politicians to commit to an urgent overhaul of the nation’s environmental policies that are hurting both farmers and the landscape.
NSW Farmers’ Conservation and Resource Management Committee chair Bronwyn Petrie said the Federal Government’s water buybacks was just one of many unworkable policies that were not only constricting food and fibre production but failing to deliver for the environment.
Emissions targets were another looming environmental reform that she urged MPs of all sides to engage with agriculture around to ensure food security was not put at risk.
“We need realistic, viable emissions reduction strategies, not aspirational ones that expect farmers to use electric tractors that don’t exist and report on emissions we can’t track,” Mrs Petrie said.
“Sustainability does not need to come at the cost of productivity in the agricultural sector.”
Nominate a volunteer
Nominations are now open for the Victorian Volunteer Awards 2025.
Last year saw a record 499 nominations, and this year’s awards aim to highlight even more of the stories that reflect Victoria’s proud culture of volunteering.
Individual categories include the Young Volunteer Award, Volunteer Commitment Award, Volunteer Leadership Award and Volunteer Impact Award. One of the individual winners will also receive the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Award for Volunteer of the Year, including a $10,000 donation to a not-for-profit of their choice.
Organisation categories include the Inclusive Volunteering Award, Grassroots Volunteering Award, Volunteering Innovation Award and Volunteering Partnerships Award. The Volunteering Excellence Award will be presented to one of the four winning organisations for their outstanding impact and leadership.
For more information and to nominate a Victorian making a difference, visit: volunteerinvictoria.org.au/awards
GrainGrowers directors wanted
Grain growers with substantial industry knowledge and a commitment to help drive industry development are being encouraged to nominate for a position as a southern region director on the GrainGrowers Board.
Applications for two grower director positions open on Thursday, May 1 and close on Saturday, May 31.
To be eligible to apply, candidates must meet be a member of GrainGrowers, be a resident or in the business of grain production in GrainGrowers Southern Region and hold a strong commitment to the further development of Australia’s grain industry.
The southern region includes Victoria, Tasmania and south of Dubbo, NSW.
The GrainGrowers Board consists of six grower directors — two elected from each of the three regions (Northern, Southern and Western) — and two independent directors.
Further details, including the application form, are available from the GrainGrowers website.
Calls for CFA upgrades
Statev Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has raised the need for upgrades to Strathbogie’s CFA shed and the concerns of local volunteers.
The current shed the Strathbogie CFA uses has no toilets, no running water, no change rooms despite multiple female volunteers, and relies on the use of a nearby private shed to appropriately store their CFA vehicles.
“With Strathbogie being located in a high-risk zone for bushfires, it is imperative that this community has fit-for-purpose facilities to keep the community safe,” Ms Cleeland said.
“These upgrades must be addressed as a matter of priority to ensure that local volunteer firefighters and the wider community are kept safe ahead of the next bushfire season.”
Climate-related impacts
Most farmers are unlikely to face onerous requirements as a result of mandatory climate-related reporting recently introduced for large Australian companies, according to new research by agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank.
The report says direct reporting requirements under the new climate-related financial disclosure regime are limited to large companies, including those in food and agri.
While indirect impacts are expected to be felt at farm level, the report said, “disclosure requirements are unlikely to drive widespread increases in emissions-related data requests from the supply chain over the short term”.
Longer term though, the report says, farmers can “expect greater supply chain engagement on climate”.
For more information, head to Rabobank’s website.