Australia's Landcare volunteers have been ''alienated and disenfranchised'' by the Rudd Government's $2.5 billion Caring for Our Country environmental grants scheme, a Senate report says.

The hard-hitting report, tabled yesterday by the Senate's rural and regional affairs committee, stops short of calling the program a failure but recommends a comprehensive overhaul.

The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) has announced that funding for 2010 of $1,000,000 is available as Environmental Research Grants under the N

University of Sydney / FATE Component Socio-cultural research activities.

The Conservation Agriculture and No-till Farming Association (CANFA) is fortunate to have an opportunity to give away at GPS guidance unit at this year's NSW Conservation Agriculture Field Day at Trangie Agricultural Research Centre on February 18, 2010.

Conservation farmers 35 years or under are eligible to enter the prize by providing one A4 page of information include:

• name
• age
• address
• details of current farming experience and farming systems operation
• proposed farming operation
• how a GPS unit will be used to implement conservation farming principles, and
• why they should be considered a worthy winner.

ErinEarth is an environmental education house and garden on half a hectare of land in central Wagga Wagga.

A report on NSW Landcare group statistics, as of 11 January 2010, is attached.

Hon Greg Combet AM MP

The Rudd Government has reinforced its commitment to the Landcare movement by reactivating the Australian Landcare Council and appointing former Western Australia Agriculture Minister Kim Chance as Chair of the Council.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said Landcare plays a vital role in natural resource management across Australia and has more than 100,000 volunteers in around 4,500 groups.

NEW SOUTH WALES CABINET
LIST OF MINISTERS

8 December 2009

The Honourable Kristina Kerscher Keneally MP
Premier, and Minister for Redfern Waterloo

November 26, 2009

ON-FARM advice has been a key to making the right decisions for agriculture, says TONY BURKE

Sometimes the first decisions you make are the most important.

Two years after becoming Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, it's been clear that everything which has followed was characterised by a decision I made on day one: to spend as much time as possible with people who work the land, on their land.

Every election promise and subsequent policy decision has been affected by the advice I've received on farm.