The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is requesting landholders and harvesting operators in Mid Lachlan Valley Team area to make use of the new Voluntary Grain Harvesting Guide to enable them to determine if it’s safe to harvest. NSW RFS Superintendant Ken Neville said those operating harvesting machinery needed to take a proactive approach to minimise the risk of fire in certain conditions.
“Each year, fire fighters attend a number of fires on farms, which have been started as a result of harvesting operations. Many of these fires have the potential to destroy homes, crops and livelihoods,” Ken said. “The NSW RFS appreciates the cooperation of farmers on days of heightened fire danger. A few hours of down time lowers the risk of fires breaking out and can prevent a great deal of damage,” he said. “Listening to the concerns of the current broad area cease harvesting requests, this guide was developed in partnership with NSW Farmers and Australian Custom
Harvesters to overcome some of the downtime this has caused for local land holders and contractors.
“The Voluntary Grain Harvesting Guide is designed for farmers and contractors to make an informed decision at the local level, based on a set of identified weather conditions.” Ken said using this step by step approach can determine if the current conditions need harvesting operations to stop until the weather is safe to return to the paddock.
“The Voluntary Grain Harvesting Guide is easy to use and compact enough to have readily accessible, whether it’s in the harvester cabin, shed or home.”
You can access and download the guide through the NSW RFS website, with current and forecast fire danger ratings also available at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au