Videos ‘demystify’

‘‘Running a dairy farm at Toolamba for the past 20 years, I’ve experienced the ups and downs of farming,’’ he said.

‘‘One of the biggest shifts in the industry has been the way we use and manage water.

‘‘I think it’s important that farmers understand how to navigate the water market and understand their options for managing their entitlements.’’

G-MW chair Diane James explained how the videos were produced.

‘‘Murray Dairy has provided the resources for the filming and Goulburn-Murray Water has provided the scripts and the expertise, and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has provided some funding and oversight,’’ she said.

Ms James said the videos were necessary because each irrigation district’s rules were different.

‘‘Water is managed differently, not only from one part of Victoria from south to north, from east to west, but also from one irrigation district to another,’’ she said.

‘‘The rules that apply for things like carryover, for things like trading, can be very cumbersome — so our farmers and our customers need to understand how to make the most of their entitlements.’’

Murray Dairy chair Karen Moroney said the videos would help reduce complexities around water management.

‘‘We believe the videos take the complexities and demystify some of the process that is around water,’’ she said.

‘‘Water is a very complex issue and we think these videos really help to take away some of those layers of complexities.’’

Ms Moroney said although the focus was on dairy farmers, the messages in the videos could be used in any farming industry.

‘‘The focus for us has been in dairying — but of course the messaging is the same across whatever agricultural industry you’re in.’’

■The videos can be accessed from the G-MW website: www.

g-mwater.com.au/ and Murray Dairy website: www.dairyaustralia.

com.au/murray-dairy as well as on their social media sites.