Talking Water - Tuesday 1 August, 2023

This week's contents

Operations

  • Guaranteed dates for maintenance areas
  • WaterWell announcement
  • Talking Water data to 1 August


Business

  • Message from the CEO - Murray Irrigation Business Review
  • Member Director nominations close today




Industry

  • Irrigation Insights Conference
  • Rice Growers' Conference - last chance for tickets


 

Operational Update


Guaranteed dates for maintenance areas

All maintenance areas will start Mode 3 Regular Operations on the dates listed below. 
 
Guaranteed water deliveries with less than one day’s notice for orders will start from 7.00am in maintenance areas as indicated below. 



WaterWell announcement

The five per cent Water Users Credit, announced yesterday, has now been added to water accounts. When a megalitre is delivered through a compliant outlet, the credit is applied to your water allocation account. 

All customers who submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) in the Sustainability Product have been offered the full volume of water requested. 

WaterWell resources can be found on our website. For further information please contact Customer Operations on 1300 138 265.


Read our WaterWell announcement

Talking Water data  01/08/2023

All the detailed data for Murray Irrigation allocations, delivery, channel flow and Water Exchange temporary trade data is available on our company web page below. 



View delivery, channel flows and temporary trade data


To see the latest data for Murray system storages and rivers, visit the Murray-Darling Basin Authority's River data page. 


View MDBA storage and river data



The information and data provided in Talking Water is for general reference purposes only. We take best endeavours to ensure accuracy. 


Business Update

A message from the CEO - Murray Irrigation Business Review

Today Murray Irrigation (MIL) is a different organisation to that which our revenue model and business systems were originally built for.

The business has identified, and subsequently communicated, financial issues in the past and has conducted reviews and implemented solutions to address specific elements of concern. However, this is the first time MIL has conducted a comprehensive review of the business that has a long-term generational focus to secure water delivery into the future. 

As announced in early July, our Business Review has found that MIL has been operating at a significant deficit for some years. Previous financial and operating decisions have prioritised customers to support them through drought and other challenges. This includes returning in excess of 150GL of water on average annually to customers since 2018 via WaterWell. However, in light of the financial challenges the company is now facing, decisions must be made for the long-term future of MIL and our customers. 

The company understands shareholder concerns over recent changes to WaterWell and fees and charges, but the challenge MIL is facing is bigger than this year. The review has identified that, based on assets and the size of the MIL footprint, MIL needs a fund of around $400m to adequately support future investment in the infrastructure, expertise and technology that services our customers.

After many months of work, we are close to completing a plan for MIL’s financial sustainability and, over the coming weeks, we will be working hard to ensure shareholders have the opportunity to talk directly with MIL about the detail and what the future may hold. 

Shareholders will then make the final decision on our proposed business modernisation strategy in a vote. The timelines for announcement, engagement and voting will be shared with customers next week. 

It is extremely important that every shareholder has accurate information from which to make this important decision. The Murray Irrigation Board has been elected by shareholders to represent the company’s interests and, by extension, our shareholders' interests. We encourage you to source your information from MIL directly, to ensure you understand the situation, the process MIL is undertaking and, ultimately, the future you will choose for MIL through your vote. 

You can call the Customer Engagement Team on 1300 138 265, email review@murrayirrigation.com.au, or visit our Business Review website: murrayirrigation.com.au/businessreview 

We look forward to sharing more information with you next week.

- Ron McCalman CEO    

Member Director nominations close 5.00pm today

Murray Irrigation would like to remind shareholders that nominations for three upcoming Member Director vacancies on the company's Board of Directors close at 5.00pm today (1 August).
 
Eligible nominees must be either shareholders of Murray Irrigation or an authorised representative of a company which is a shareholder of Murray Irrigation. 

Successful candidates will be appointed for a four-year term, commencing at the conclusion of the 2023 Annual General Meeting.

All information, including a formal nomination form, is available on our Director Nominations webpage. 


If you have any enquiries, please contact Murray Irrigation on 1300 138 265 or email:  companysecretary@murrayirrigation.com.au 

Industry News

Irrigation Insights Conference

Murray Irrigation Customer Engagement Officers Laura Barlow and Shannon Bulmer attended the Irrigation Farmers Network's (formerly Irrigated Cropping Council) recent Irrigation Insights Conference, embracing the opportunity to hear about the latest innovations in irrigated farming practices and to learn more about the challenges that farmers are currently tackling in an ever-changing environment. 

An extensive amount of information flowed throughout the day, with a series of industry experts on hand to present on a range of topics including:
•              Seed trials
•              Soil health and carbon levels
•              Automating on-farm structures
•              Till versus no till farming
•              Environmental watering
•              Rotational planning with pulses. 

Other program highlights included a seasonal outlook session, where keynotes John Clarke from CSIRO, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder's Dr Simon Banks and Agriculture Victoria Climate Specialist Dale Grey provided valuable information on how to understand and use climate data. Local farmers Greg Quinn, Nick and Oliver Evans and Chris Leed also shared details of how they are adapting their faming systems to meet the evolving landscape in the thought- provoking Farmers Insights Panel discussion. 
 
Brill Ag agronomist Rohan Brill's presentation on growing high yielding crops highlighted that, amid the range of factors that farmers need to take into account when planning for their cropping season (sowing dates, soil nutrition, crop selection, disease management etc), water certainty is absolutely critical. 
 
Murray Irrigation was pleased to join up with industry partners, suppliers, government agencies and farmers who operate within and beyond our service footprint, at this year's Irrigation Insights Conference.
 
Aside from its valuable learning opportunities, this event - like so many other conferences like it - went a long way in promoting a strong industry-wide understanding of the issues that are important to our region's irrigators. 
 
For our Murray Irrigation representatives Laura and Shannon, it provided them interesting insight and a different perspective into the complexities and challenges involved in running an irrigation enterprise.
 
A round of applause to all the keynote speakers, the farmers panel and, lastly, to the Irrigation Farmers Network for hosting this impressive event.


Photo: Murray Irrigation Customer Engagement Officers Laura Barlow (far left) and Shannon Bulmer (far right) are pictured with local farmer Greg Quinn (inside left) and Irrigation Farmers Network Chair Michael Hughes (inside right). 


View presentations and conference notes here

Australian Rice Growers' Conference - Last chance for tickets

Ticket sales for the Australian Rice Growers’ Conference, which is being held in Griffith on 10-11 August, close at midnight tonight. 

There will be no extension, so make sure you get in before the clock hits 12! 

Murray Irrigation is delighted to be sponsoring this major industry event, which brings the rice industry together through education, support, and future led conversation. 

Along with trade exhibits, innovative speakers, and a Gala Dinner, there is something for everyone in the rice growing, extended agriculture and agribusiness communities.

Get your conference tickets here

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