WHEN the irrigation channel supplying Paul and Lenore Mundy’s property was slated for modernisation as part of the $2B Connections Project, they knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to upgrade their farm and improve productivity.
The dairy farmers, along with their son, Rupert and daughter, Georgia, have been on the 305 acre Cobram east property for about three years, milking a 300 strong herd as well as running cropping enterprises.
With experience in modernisation under the Connections Project on their previous property, this time they opted for a co-contribution agreement. This means they contribute to deliver more extensive on-farm works.
“We knew the best way to set our farm up to create the best possible outcome with the area we had,” Paul said.
With their current channel to be decommissioned, the Mundy’s property was reconnected to a modernised outlet on another nearby channel.
On the property, the co-contribution agreement allowed for a new gravity on-farm channel to be constructed and aligned to make the most of the farm’s geographical layout, as well as developing new bays.
For Paul and Lenore, one of the keys to the success of their modernisation was that their experiences and opinions were listened to and taken into consideration throughout the process.
Since modernising, they say it’s greatly benefitted the running of the property, including increased on-farm efficiencies.
“For us, it’s been great. It means we can water much more efficiently – it now only takes us half a day to water an area of land the previously took three days,” Lenore said.
