There are many people both new to Hartley and new to country living settling in this Valley.
It’s wonderful to have one’s dream of a country lifestyle come to fruition, but the realities don’t necessarily follow the dream.
Here are some pointers for those who are looking information or more help in a variety of areas.
The Rural Living Handbook was published by the Central Tablelands Council recently with information specific to these areas.
Small Farm Weeds is relevant to all of rural Australia, published by the University of New England.
Raising and caring for animals adds another level of responsibility and many varieties and breeds are now resident in the Valley from Alpacas to Meat Sheep.
Most popular by far are horses and dogs as these animals have such special relationships with people.
Again there is usually more involved in raising and caring for such animals than is apparent at the outset, so here are a few resources that may be of help to both the first time owner and the expert.
This Guide to the Welfare of Horses is from the Victorian Goverment, but the most clear and comprehensive that the country has to offer.
And for those who are concerned about the welfare of horses, ponies or donkeys in their neighbourhood, but are not sure what to do Quest can offer invaluable guidance and assistance.
If your dog roams beyond your boundaries he can cause all manner of trouble in a rural environment from chasing cars and kids on bicycles to chasing neighbours’ chickens and sheep – things that can get both the dog and the owner into a great deal of trouble, not to mention the kids, chickens or sheep!
There are many ways of containing your pet, but this is one worth considering if the others fail you or ordinary dog fencing proves cost prohibitive. The information is from a business site, but this is not an advertisement for this business. It just has the most comprehensive information about Radio Dog Containment Systems that is available.
NSW Government Local Land Services
Open for business January 2014
Local Land Services, managed by local people on local Boards, brings together a wealth of technical and advisory knowledge from Livestock Health and Pest Authorities, Catchment Management Authorities, and some agricultural advisory services from the Department of Primary Industries into a new grass roots model for regional service delivery.
Local people, local services
Eleven LLS regions, managed by 11 local boards cover NSW: Central Tablelands, Central West, Greater Sydney, Hunter, Murray, North Coast, Northern Tablelands, North West, Riverina, South East and Western regions.
Each region is accountable for delivering services that add value to local industries, enhance natural resources, protect industries from pests and disease and help communities respond to emergencies like flood, fire and drought.
Local Boards headed by local Chairs work closely with farmers, landholders and communities. Each region will develop operational management plans that will prioritise service delivery on a regional basis, reflecting regional priorities.
All the local Chairs together form the LLS Board of Chairs. The LLS Board of Chairs is led by the LLS Chair of the Board of Chairs, John Macarthur-Stanham.
Local Land Services Boards are accountable for
- administering and delivering local land services
- developing and implementing appropriate governance arrangements for the delivery of local land services
- preparing a State Strategic Plan and Local Strategic Plans
- providing and facilitating education and training in connection with agricultural production, bio-security, natural resource management and emergency management
- making and managing levy rates, levies and contributions on rateable and other land
- providing and administering grants, loans, subsidies or other financial assistance for local land services
- communicating, consulting and engaging with the community, including the Aboriginal community, to encourage participation in the delivery of local land services.
For more general information about this new service see their website:http://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/
For the Central Tablelands Local Land Services Region go to:http://centraltablelands.lls.nsw.gov.au/
