Hi, We live on 73 acres in Bucca, just a half hour NW of Bundaberg.  What would be the best use of the land so as to make some income so that we can apply for a farming concession for our Council rates.  After 9 years here we have 6 head of cattle (heifers) a row of Mango trees, two horses, and quite a number of native trees the timber from which has been sold in the past (before we owned the place).  This area was renowned for timber once - it produces tall straight trees.

To get the concession on our rates we only have to show an average gross profit for the last three years of $5000.  Both my wife and I work, though I work from home.  We have a good deal of equipment which we have acquired over the 9 years, 4 tractors, 3 sheds, 3 slashers, stick rake.  I have thought of claiming the timber on the property as being worth at least an average of $5000 for each year of the last three years, but the only problem is that I think our property is white zone so that nothing prior to 1989 can be now cut for timber, but there may be exceptions to that rule such as timber for railway sleepers.  If we can claim the timber it would be easy since we only have to show an 'anticipated' gross annual profit of $5000, not necessarily an actual profit (see Land Valuation Act Qld, 2010 section 48).

We bought the cattle and fenced to make some money out of them as our neighbours do, but we can only carry a very limited number of cattle and at present, with the dry weather, we are about at our limit with 6 cattle and two horses.

Does any one have any good ideas?  The Valuer General has just increased the value of our land by 36.5% so our rates have gone up considerably, even though we are on a dirt road 30 minutes from Bundaberg.  The farming concession would drop the valuation and rates back down again and the eligibility criteria does not look that onerous.