In rural Australia, having access to your own private water supply during bushfire season can really be make or break when it comes to saving your home, your farm or your business. Far too many Australians are familiar with the financial devastation and heartbreak that can be inflicted upon you by our long, hot and dry summers. Make sure you’re prepared to protect your home with a fully stocked water storage tank.

In most rural towns, the local water supply is only designed to facilitate everyday domestic and drinking water needs, so if you live or operate a business in an area that’s prone to bush or grass fire, it’s crucial that you have a water storage tank onsite in the event that a fire does occur. Below we’ve given 4 of the main reasons that water tanks are absolutely vital when it comes to fire fighting:

1. The chances of your regular household or business water supply being affected are much higher when a bushfire strikes.
2. When a large number of homeowners in your area are hosing their property down or attempting to fill up buckets, this will likely lead to a drop in water pressure making it much harder for you to take preventative measures around your home or business.
3. If a Country Fire Authority or Rural Fire Service tank arrives to fight the bushfire and needs to use the local water supply to refill their tank, it can often cause your water flow to completely stall leaving you with no access to water. NSW, QLD have VIC have different fittings you can have installed on your tank so fire services can connect to your tanks quickly and easily. Chat with our friendly staff about relevant fittings for your area.
4. The RFS and CFA recommend that if you choose to stay and defend your property during a bushfire you must have access to at least 10,000 litres of water from a source other than the mains water supply. The only way to guarantee immediate access to such a large volume of water for fire fighting is by having a water storage tank on your property.

Tips for Bushfire Season

✓ As we approach the bushfire season, make sure you maintain high water levels in your poly water tank. You never know when you’re going to need your water tank for fire fighting purposes.

✓ If a bushfire does occur, fire services may need to use your water tank to defend your property or the business and homes around you. Having the Stortz specialist fitting on your tank will allow fire services to use your tank.

✓ Make sure you keep the area surrounding the tank completely free of vegetation or foliage that could be set alight in a bushfire. This will block your access to the tank and render the water useless.

✓ If you live or operate in a high-risk zone for bushfires you may want to think about having a fire hose or sprinkler system connected to your water tank and ready to go in the case of an emergency.

At Global Tanks, our poly water storage tanks come in 30 different colours and a huge range of sizes with our largest and best value tanks holding up to 23,500 litres of water(45,000 litres in Victoria). If you have any questions about our water storage tanks or want to learn more about our services and the installation process, get in touch with one of our friendly team members today!

At Global Tanks, we love keeping our customers up to date with agricultural business and community news, especially when we have the opportunity to highlight an increase in support services available to our rural community. Recent changes have been made within the Lockyer Valley Council to ensure that those affected by drought are receiving the help and assistance that they need. Below we have outlined the increase in services but also highlighted a lot of the structures that are in place for those rural businesses and families in need of advice and financial support, whether you live in the Lockyer Valley area or beyond. 

A Local Drought Support Officer

The Lockyer Valley council has recently increased its support for those affected by drought. This support is coming in the form of a Local Drought Support Officer (LDSO), a new role entirely dedicated to helping those who’ve felt the impact of the drought the most. The LDSO will coordinate support services, agencies and programs that are designed to help farms, farmworkers, agricultural businesses and rural families. Mayor Tanya Milligan is urging people to make use of the LDSO and the services available to them stating, “I know it is not always easy to ask for help but Council can now offer greater support for accessing a wider range of services and programs including mental health support. Our LDSO will work closely with various drought-support agencies to assist in further local promotion of appropriate programs for those affected.”

Rural Financial Counselling

The Rural Financial Counselling service (RFCS) allows people who are eligible to receive free, independent financial guidance. The services are entirely impartial and confidential and are designed to ensure that rural operators can work towards financial self-sufficiency. “Free, confidential, impartial, independent assistance is available to help eligible rural clients manage and adjust to volatilities and changes within their business environment.” -RFCS

Rural Assistance Programs

There are various programs that exist to provide drought relief and financial assistance to the farms and businesses of not just the Lockyer Valley but all of rural Queensland. Some examples of these are: The Queensland Government’s Drought Relief Assistance Program, Regional Investment Corporation Loans, the Farm Household Assistance and QRIDA Loans and Products.  Below we have provided a comprehensive list of links for any of the services referred to in the article as well as other helpful services for financial and mental wellbeing. 

Financial Support Services

• Rural Financial Counselling Service
• The Queensland Government’s Drought Relief Assistance Program
• Regional Investment Corporation Loans
• Farm Household Assistance
• QRIDA Loans and Products
• Legal Aid Queensland Farm and Rural Legal Service
• Rural Aid
• Queensland Country Women’s Association

Wellbeing and Mental Health Services

Health Service Navigators Lifeline Darling Downs and South West Queensland: 1300 991 443 New Access Relationships Australia QLD At Global Tanks, we always want to ensure that our customers and community are aware of the support that’s available to them and take advantage of these services. To find out how our tanks, products and custom rotomoulding services can help to boost your agricultural business, get in touch with us today!

When it comes to purchasing a septic tank for your property, you don’t want to make the wrong choice. This is a purchase that you will likely be committed to for at least a couple of decades, not to mention the fact that after it’s been buried underground, removal can be a difficult task to undertake simply because you changed your mind after the fact. Before you make your decision, it’s critical you get educated on the facts and weigh up the various pros and cons of your options. Plastic and concrete tend to be the most widely available septic tanks so we’ve laid out the advantages and disadvantages of both materials below to help make things easier:

Plastic Septic Tanks

The Pros

✓ Recyclable
At Global Tanks, we only ever create and mould our tanks out of recyclable plastic which means that you don’t have to worry about harmful landfill or expensive removal when it eventually comes time to dispose of your septic tank.

✓ Crack Resistant
Plastic is much more flexible than concrete, making it much less likely to crack or weather over time. This makes them completely watertight and prevents contamination or leaking.

✓ Easy Installation
As a lightweight material, choosing plastic makes it much easier to transport and install. This means that no heavy machinery is required and that plastic septic tanks can be placed in a bigger variety of locations or surroundings. More than this, easy installation means it’s quicker, requires fewer employees, and is cheaper to transport, all of which will bring down the cost.

✓ Cost
Plastic is easier to manufacture and mould, making plastic septic tanks cheaper to purchase than concrete tanks.

✓ Hygiene
Due to the fact that plastic tanks are more watertight and much less likely to let water in or out, they’re the more hygienic option. This massively reduces the chances of your wastewater leaking and contaminating your property while also helping to ensure no foreign water, liquids, or chemicals can get into your tank.

✓ Corrosion-Free
Plastic is completely resistant to corrosion or rust from water which means that it requires less maintenance and is much less likely to break or cause you trouble as it gets older.

The Cons

❌ More Easily Crushed
A plastic tank is more likely to become crushed when exposed to extreme pressure. However, this is rare and can easily be avoided through strategic placement; they are engineered to overcome this.

Concrete Septic Tanks

The Pros

✓ Remains rust-free
Concrete is made from natural materials and therefore non-toxic but also, for obvious reasons, it means the tank will not rust over the long-term.

The Cons

❌ Higher Carbon Emissions During Production
As the second most used material in the world after water, concrete is responsible for a significant negative contribution to the environment. The manufacturing of concrete generates roughly 4.5% of the world’s human-induced carbon dioxide emissions.

❌ Much Heavier
As concrete is a lot heavier than plastic, it’s harder to install a concrete septic tank. The process will likely be a lot longer, more expensive, and require machinery.

❌ Easily Cracked
Concrete is more brittle than plastic which means that as the years go on, cracks are likely to appear which could lead to expensive repairs, contamination to your property, foul smells, and environmental health issues.

❌ Easily Corroded
Concrete is much more prone to corrosion from water which isn’t ideal as it will be often exposed to water. Serious corrosion is likely to compromise the integrity of the entire tank.

❌ Difficult to Repair
Not only are concrete tanks more likely to crack or break but when they do, the repair process is far more difficult and disruptive than that of a plastic septic tank.

At Global Tanks, our business is all about innovating for the future. We are confident that concrete will soon become a thing of the past and that our recyclable plastic tanks are the way forward. We have a range of plastic septic tanks, water storage tanks, transportable tanks and we are also experts in Custom Rotomoulding. To learn more about our products or services, get in touch with one of our friendly team members today!

Most pastures rely on weather conditions such as temperature, moisture and sunlight for growth. As the temperature drops during winter, the pasture growth rate also drops substantially which often results in a lack of feed for the livestock on a farm. This stage is commonly referred to as the ‘winter feed gap’. Most crops will germinate and create a larger amount of biomass more quickly than a pasture and so this biomass can be used as a food source while the crop plants remain vegetative.

What are the Benefits of Grazing Crops?

✓ Grazing crops can help to drastically boost the availability of feed during the gap that takes place during autumn and winter and will help to avoid the negative impacts of lower temperatures and disease.

✓ Many grazing crops, like cereals and canola, can still produce a very acceptable yield after being used for grazing by livestock.

✓ Reduce the cost of supplementary feeding

✓ In some cases, using grazing crops during the winter feed gap has been proven to increase to overall gross margins of a farm or livestock enterprise

✓ Pasture paddocks will excel as removing the livestock from them will give them the chance to germinate and grow without being used for grazing

✓ The reduction of the crop biomass that occurs as a result of grazing means that more groundwater is reserved.

How to Manage Grazing

The grazing process must be carefully managed in order to ensure your livestock is well fed and you still get a decent yield from the crops. Below are some of the best ways to do that:

✓ Don’t introduce cattle to the grazing crops on an empty stomach. Instead, give them some hay to graze on beforehand which will prevent them from overgrazing and ruining your potential yield.

✓ Give your livestock calcium, salt and magnesium supplementation during the period that they are grazing crops in order to maintain their nutrient levels.

✓ You must be aware that livestock will require time to adapt to their new source of feed and may not be able to use it effectively straight away.

✓ We recommend that you always sow your crops early in the season to allow for maximum biomass and growth before grazing begins. It’s crucial that you don’t introduce stock to crops before they’ve become securely anchored in the ground.

✓ Make sure your stocking rates are thoroughly calculated to achieve even grazing, recovery and crop maturation.

✓ It’s important that flowering happens at the right time. Flowering can be pushed back by grazing which is a bonus since it won’t happen during the lowest temperatures of the year. However, if you delay flowering too much, your grain fill may be pushed back into a period of high temperatures which will affect the yield.

At Global Tanks, our team have been living in Rural Queensland our whole lives, so we know exactly how to manage an agricultural lifestyle and business. We have a huge range of products from water storage tanks to fertilizer tanks, that are guaranteed to get the job done and make your life easier. Head to our website to learn more about the products that we manufacture or get in touch with us today and chat to one of our friendly team members!

It isn’t always an easy task when it comes to designing a brand new product for rotomoulding, however, when you follow the right process it becomes much more straightforward. At Global Rotomoulding, we have over 30 years of experience in moulding and manufacturing rotomoulded products, so it’s safe to say that we know a thing or two about what does and doesn’t work. When you have the right manufacturing team and you follow these crucial steps, you’re guaranteed to achieve your desired results:

Consider your End Goal

The very first step to designing a great product is considering your ‘why’- why are you creating this product? What problems will it solve? Often our customers come to us because they want to solve a problem with existing products on the market or the existing product they’re using. The good news is that rotomoulding can solve a lot of problems because the plastic used is stronger as well as lighter than metal and is cheaper to manufacture.

Improve Efficiency

The new product that you are designing and manufacturing should always boost efficiency for your customers in one way or another. When it comes to your customers and their business, time is money, so your product should always be designed with the aim of saving your customers time and helping them to do their job more efficiently.

Create a CAD Prototype and seek industry expert advice.

When you’ve created a clear and effective design that will solve the problems you’ve outlined. You need to work through your design process this may include producing scale 3d printed products. We recommend you partner with our Industrial designer who is the leading designer for rotomolded products in Australia. This is the most effective way of ensuring that your product can be manufactured. The creation of moulds is expensive, it is best to ensure your design is well thought through for the intended application, as well as the product can be manufactured.

Collaborate With the Right Team

When designing a product for rotomoulding, it’s crucial that you have the best expertise, facilities and level of support possible. The manufacturing team that you opt to partner with is the factor that has the biggest potential to make or break your entire design.

At Global Rotomoulding, we offer a fully comprehensive service and we’re confident that you won’t find a more capable team of rotomoulding experts anywhere else. Below are some of the highlights of the services that we offer and that you should always look for in a manufacturing partner:

• Support from Concept to Final Product: At Global Rotomoudling, we help and advise you through every step of the process from start to finish. We work with Australia’s leading industrial designer for rotomolded products. We will help transform your vision into a fully functioning, rotomoulded product in front of you.
• We use the best tools: When it comes to rotomoulding, the magic is in the moulds themselves. The fabrication of the moulds is the biggest and most important investment you can make in the rotomoulding process and at Global Tanks, we use only the best quality moulds.
• The Perfect Material: At Global Tanks, we use polyethylene for rotomoulding which is by far the most effective material available. Polyethylene has the ability to remain stable during the extensive heating process, is highly durable, weather-resistant, and always results in uniform thickness.
• Think outside the box: If you can dream it up, we’ll always find a way to rotomould it. In fact, we specialise in custom rotomoulding and products that are a little bit out of the ordinary, and pride ourselves on our ability to create and manufacture designs that are completely customised to the customer’s needs.

At Global Tanks, we credit our success to the skills and talent of our amazing team who are always ready to challenge conventional practices. If you have a product in mind that you would like to design and manufacture, get in touch with us today and we guarantee we’ll do everything possible to make your vision a reality!

Aussie Virtual Events have announced that, for the first time, they will be hosting Virtual Rural Field Days from Sunday 23rd of August to Wednesday 26th August 2020, and at Global Tanks, we’ll be setting up our very own digital exhibit run by our team of industry experts and professionals.

This is an amazing opportunity to honour the age old tradition of face to face business interactions and keep your finger on the pulse of the rural and agricultural industries, all while cleverly utilising the digital platform that’s so readily available. These Virtual Rural Field Days will give people the opportunity to connect with businesses and other likeminded people that they would usually meet at their local field day.

“We wanted to create a digital environment that has elements of traditional field days while also embracing digital technology to allow upskilling and networking at times that suit attendees.”
Aaron Bellette (Director)

What can you expect from the Virtual Rural Field Days?

Presentations from exhibitors to educate attendees on their area of expertise and experience. Each presentation will have a maximum of 1000 viewers and will last roughly 20 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A session at the end.

Chin Wag Sessions hosted by exhibitors and sponsors. These will be informal online conferences with conversations on the relevant areas of industry knowledge, Q&As, product reviews etc. Each chin wag session will last 30 minutes and have a maximum of 20 attendees.

One on One Direct Sales hosted via video link or phone call. This will give you the opportunity to chat with sales staff and get educated on specific services or products from the comfort of your own home.

What are the Benefits?

✓ Attend from the comfort of your own home or workspace
✓ You can attend using your phone, laptop, computer or tablet
✓ Stay up to date with your industry and get educated on the latest information, products or services available from industry leaders
✓ Upskill yourself in a broad range of areas
✓ Work your attendance around your own schedule- there’s no need to take any time off work
✓ No travel time, parking or costs
✓ The event doesn’t have to be weather dependent
✓ Immediate access to data as well as product videos and demos
✓ No need to be impacted by COVID-19 restrictions or health and safety concerns

Exhibitor sign up is now open and ticketing for attendees will become available from the 1st of July. Click here for more information on the Virtual Rural Field Days Event or alternatively, if you have any questions about the Global Tanks exhibit or our huge range of products, get in touch with us today!

Urban Tanks are a fantastic option for those who want a water storage tank but are working with limited space or in an area where space is at a high premium which is often in cities, hence the term ‘urban tanks’. Similarly, vertical gardens are the perfect way to implement eco friendly and sustainable practices in urban areas that are becoming increasingly developed and built up, without taking up too much space. Vertical greening systems are essentially a wall full of vegetation and greenery and can either be standalone or designed to form around the actual walls and structure of a building. These vertical systems combined with an urban tank are becoming an increasingly popular choice in cities all across Australia and it’s easy to understand why.

Besides the standard benefits of an urban tank such as reducing your bills and the provision of alternative water supply, combining a vertical garden with an urban tank means that you’re essentially creating an entire nutrient water cycle. Below is just a few of the amazing benefits of using your urban tank to secure water for a vertical garden:

Aesthetics

This is the perfect way to create a beautiful green space in your urban home, apartment building, or commercial space. Being in an inner-city suburb doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice having nature in your space. What’s more, including plants and greenery in your design is a timeless classic that will never go out of fashion.

Low maintenance

When using an urban tank to secure water for your dense vertical greening system, you essentially end up with a self-sufficient garden which will look luscious all year round.

Minimal space requirements

As mentioned previously, you can design both your urban tank and garden around the space that you have available to you which means that you don’t have to worry about sacrificing a large amount of space in your home or building.

Insulation

When adding a vertical garden to the walls of your home or commercial building, it adds a very effective layer of insulation to the space. Your dense vertical garden will essentially help to keep the building cool during summer and warm during winter which is highly energy-efficient and will significantly reduce your energy bills.

At Global Tanks, we have a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to helping our customers to add a water tank to their property. No matter the circumstances, restrictions, or geography, we have a large range of tanks that ensures you are reaping all of the benefits available to you. To learn more about our products and how we can help you, get in touch with us today!