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Hi all,
Sorry for the delay everyone – had a bit of a holiday.
Plenty of great stuff in this one, hope you enjoy.

Cheers,
Andrew Bomm
Delivery losses
According to MDBA, NSW General Security entitlement holders lost 175GL in unbudgeted system losses in 2018/19. This was due to ‘time of year, timing, magnitude and duration of overbank transfers’, and delivery of IVT, Menindee issues, high lower system demand, and hot weather.

Unless there is a change in water sharing plans to account for the economic cost of delivering productive water to the bottom of the system, this problem will continue. Nut plantings downstream are continuing to increase their demands on the system, and irrigators may again see NSW Murray General Security allocations struggling to get of the mark during dry sequences.
 
Check it Out Here
Vic opening allocations
We don’t cover the Victorian issues much here, but the latest predicted Victorian high reliability allocations are a good indication of likely water scarcity next season. Here’s the seasonal determination for Vic Murray.
 
Price predictions
The latest ABARES water market outlook was released last month, and it makes for interesting reading. It includes a forecast for prices under various inflow scenarios:
In a dry sequence, with zero NSW general security allocation and 50 per cent in Victoria, it’s hard to see prices across the season averaging between $450-500. Check out their full report here.
Check it Out Here
BOM gets some optimism back
The BOM’s outlooks have, over the past couple of months, been darting between ok, to disastrous, to ok again. Current El Nino status is ‘alert’.
 
AV Weather again disagrees with the BOM, suggesting that prospects of El Nino are exaggerated. He’s forecasting a decent autumn break for the Riverina.
 

Sussan Ley delivers again
Is Sussan Ley Australia’s most inept politician? Last week she arranged a meeting between the Speak Up group and the Prime Minister, following months of campaigning for him to visit Deniliquin, see the effects of the Basin Plan, and defy all numerical reality to implement a ‘pause’ in the legislated time frame for its implementation. The outcome? Well, not a ‘pause’ in the Basin Plan - that requires a majority in both houses of the federal parliament, where there is bipartisan support for existing timeframes. There can be no agreed ‘pause’, just a decision by NSW and/or Victoria to remove their support for Commonwealth management of water, after which the proposed 600GL of SDL offsets comes off the table and is replaced by direct buyback.

What has been achieved is that the peak irrigator groups, who have been trying to work constructively with Sussan and would love an opportunity for a rational policy discussion with the PM, are further marginalised in their own communities. And for what? Speak Up continues to actively campaign against her so they can insert their own candidate in Farrer. So here’s the Ley scorecard. No change to policy: check. Undermining the groups prepared to help negotiate an actual solution: check. Achieve no electoral benefit: check. The irony? All this ineptness means that irrigators would probably be better off voting for the Speak Up candidate, Kevin Mack.
 

Ecosystem services
The environmental value landowners can create by improving on farm biodiversity and sequestering carbon is well known, but a comprehensive system of economic incentives for farmers to implement best practice NRM has eluded policy makers for decades.

The recent budget contained an announcement of $30 million for an ag stewardship package, intended to run a program trial across various regions and commodities, to inform the methodologies to be used in a later more comprehensive program. There’ll be a range of design challenges for any comprehensive ecosystem services payments scheme, particularly concerning measurement, accountability, governance, and how it’s integrated into emissions reduction policies, but it’s great to see some positive movement in this direction.

Independents are good value
Apologies for not putting out an update during the NSW election campaign. I would have tipped you into Helen Dalton at $2.85, when she was a moral to win in Murray.

In Sydney I like Zali Steggall in Warringah at $2 and Kerryn Phelps in Wentworth at $2.10. The independent candidate in Indi at $2 should win and for value you can have $5 on the independent in Mallee.

We’re back
Our podcast is back, this one talking with renewable energy expert Phil Link. We discuss the latest on the sector and how the opportunities apply to agriculture.
Listen Here

Innovation Generation
Graingrowers’ Innovation Generation conference is back from 22-24 July in Ballarat. Cold times. It’s a great event, so if you can get there it’s worth the effort.

Register Here

Abbott Impersonator
There’s too much politics on social media at the moment, so probably the most amusing thing happening is Abbott Impersonator, running a parallel campaign to the real Tony Abbott in Warringah.

Follow Here
Amazing footy content
Here’s some great footage from Channel 9 doing an undercover doco on the 1993 Fitzroy v North Melbourne clash, when Channel 7 had the rights. It follows Fitzroy coach Robert Shaw throughout their gutsy win, the last time Fitzroy were a competitive side in the AFL.
Watch Here
Follow @progressiveagri on Twitter
Our mailing address is:
andrew@progressiveagriculture.com.au

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Progressive Agriculture · 13/120 Fitzmaurice Street · Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650 · Australia

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