• Coronavirus (COVID-19) update
• Avian influenza – know your biosecurity basics 
• Simple steps to improve cash flow management
• The Fast Break - seasonal climate webinar
• Soil moisture monitoring newsletter is out now
• Supporting more rural women in agriculture
• Noxious weeds in the Wimmera
• Yellow Dwarf Virus infections increase in cereal crops
• Maintain grain quality with hygiene essentials
• Lucerne hay rivals costly supplement diet
• Rolling deep ripped paddocks could remedy yield loss
• Latest AgVic Talk podcast episodes
• RuralSnapShot competition
• What's on

Safely reopening Victoria

A roadmap for reopening Victoria has been announced by the Victorian Government.

There are two separate roadmaps in Victoria: one for metropolitan Melbourne and one for regional Victoria regarding how we live and how we work.

Each roadmap outlines safe, steady and sustainable steps to COVID Normal.

The Roadmap for reopening: regional Victoria provides steps on easing restrictions, dependent on how many active coronavirus (COVID-19) cases are in the community and public health advice.

From 11.59 pm on 16 September 2020 regional Victoria moved to the Third Step on the roadmap.

From 11.59 pm on 27 September 2020 metropolitan Melbourne moved to the Second Step on the Roadmap for reopening.

This step included some small but significant changes to the planned roadmap based on current case numbers and the latest modelling and projections.

Visit Roadmap for reopening for more details.

COVIDSafe Plan now required for regional Victorian businesses

From 11:59 on 13 September 2020, it is mandatory for every Victorian business to have a COVIDSafe Plan.

To ensure compliance, random spot checks are underway in metropolitan Melbourne and commenced in regional Victoria from 29 September 2020.

Your COVIDSafe Plan must set out:

• your actions to help prevent the introduction of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace
• the level of face covering or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for your workforce 
• how you will prepare for, and respond to, a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace
• this plan must demonstrate how you will meet all the requirements set out by the Victorian Government. Some higher-risk industries or workplaces have additional requirements of employers and employees.

Businesses must review and update their COVIDSafe Plans routinely, especially when restrictions or public health advice changes. Organisations with multiple worksites must complete a COVIDSafe Plan for each worksite.

For more information and for templates and guidance on how to create your COVIDSafe Plan, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au

What should you do to help limit the spread of avian flu? Here are 8 key things you can do:

• Report sick or dead birds, including wild birds to the 24/7 Emergency animal Disease Watch Hotline – 1800 675 888 or contact your vet
• Always wash your hands before and after handling birds or eggs
• Restrict contact between your birds and wild birds, including bird-proofing housing and feed storage areas
• Keep poultry sheds, yards, aviaries and equipment clean
• Limit visitors to your birds and use clean footwear
• Ensure that any visitors to your birds wear protective clothing and walk through a viricidal footbath before going into your bird areas
• Quarantine new birds before integrating them with your existing birds
• Prevent your birds from accessing water sources that may have been contaminated by wild waterfowl (e.g., ponds, lakes, creeks, channels, dams, puddles and water troughs) or only use an appropriately chlorinated water source.

Have questions? Call the avian influenza hotline (03) 4334 2715 or go to agriculture.vic.gov.au/avianflu

Managing and forecasting cash flow is essential for any business. For farmers it’s particularly important given the highly variable income that comes with seasonal conditions, market fluctuations and unforeseen circumstances such as fire or floods.

Agriculture Victoria Livestock Extension Officer Greg Ferrier said being prepared, both on the farm and on the books, will assist farmers when it comes to managing challenging situations.

“For individual farm businesses, financial forecasting is equally important as seasonal forecasting in terms of being prepared as best a producer can be to manage changing markets, seasonal conditions or the impact of floods or fires,” Mr Ferrier said.

“Having good cash flow management will also allow farmers to take advantage of the opportunities, good seasons and good markets provide when they arrive.”

Now all farmers can improve their cash flow management skills with Agriculture Victoria and AgBiz Assist’s Farm Cash Flow 101, a free two-session course designed in conjunction with farm business specialists to help farmers understand cash flow budgets, and develop confidence using spreadsheets for cash flow management.

Using case study figures from a farming operation, farm business specialist Jim Moll, from AgBiz Assist, will illustrate how to develop a simple cash flow budget to manage income and expenditure over the next 12 months.

Once mastered, these simple Excel® spreadsheets can be adapted to a number of farm businesses and become an integral part of financial planning and management, revised regularly to reflect current circumstances.

“This course will provide farmers with a straightforward approach to cash flow budgeting on a spreadsheet that can be adapted to a range of farm businesses depending on the individual’s needs,” Mr Ferrier said.

“The aim is to start to build confidence to use spread sheets to manage projected and actual farm cash flows so it as an ongoing process, not just as a one-off exercise.”

The course will run on Monday 26 October and Wednesday 28 October, from 11 am to noon.

Monday, 26 October 11 am - 12 pm:

• Introduction to cash flow budgeting, spreadsheet basics, and why cash flow budgets are important and how they assist farm business

Wednesday, 28 October 11 am - 12 pm:

• Refining the spreadsheet, and adapting cash flow budgets to different production systems

To register visit farm-cash-flow-budgets.eventbrite.com.au

For more information phone Greg Ferrier on 0438 738 634.

This webinar with seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey, will focus on the current seasonal climate outlook.

The information presented will be of particular relevance to the grains industry in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and NSW.

The outlook will be based on model projections for rainfall utilising current oceanic, atmospheric and soil moisture conditions.

This webinar is simply an online presentation which allows you to ask questions.

It will be recorded, so if you miss the live presentation you can watch it later at a time that suits you.

Date and time: Friday 16 October at 12 pm
Event number: 165 827 5852
Event password: DaleGrey

Register here for the combined state webinar.

Note: If you need to dial into the webinar, ring 03 9070 6482 (note charges will apply) and, if prompted, enter the event number.

To join a webinar you’ll need access to a computer that has a good internet connection, and a headset or built in computer speakers and microphone.

You can also watch via computer and phone in (if you can’t access audio on your computer), or you can watch and interact in the webinar via your smartphone or tablet.

For more information about this webinar, email the.break@agriculture.vic.gov.au

This newsletter introduces the new soil moisture monitoring website that makes it easier to access all the soil probe site data.

While winter and spring rains have filled a number of soil profiles across the state, there are still some notable exceptions in Gippsland.

This report was produced with data up to 7 October and does not include the effects of recent rain across the state. We have also included the spring pasture predictions for the Harrow and Baynton sites, produced as part of the local groups' Enhanced Producer Demonstration Sites (funded by Agriculture Victoria and MLA), investigating the use of soil moisture data for spring management decisions.

By Dale Boyd and Jane Court.

You can read the newsletter here.

The Victorian Government is helping more rural women to reach their leadership aspirations with more funded places being made available through the Victorian Rural Women’s Network Leadership and Mentoring program.

To mark International Day of Rural Women, Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes encouraged Victorian rural women in agriculture to apply for the program.

Applications to take part in Leadership Victoria’s new ‘Women Leading Now’ program are now open, with four funded places on offer. This new two-day leadership is being delivered online in November.

While a third of Victorian farmers are women and many more work on-farm as a secondary occupation, Victorian women remain underrepresented in leadership and decision-making roles.

The $500,000 Victorian Rural Women’s Leadership and Mentoring program was launched in 2018 to upskill more than 40 women over three years.

The initiative offers access to programs covering board skills, governance, financial and business management, team-building, community collaboration and networking.

Central Victorian farmer Carly Noble is one of 24 Victorian women who have so far used the Leadership and Mentoring Program as an opportunity to turn ideas into tangible outcomes for their communities.

This year Carly was one of three rural women to accept a funded place on a Regional Leadership program through the Victorian Rural Women’s Network. During the program, Carly developed ideas to connect and advise small farm businesses and has also launched a gift hamper initiative supporting people doing it tough in rural communities.

Applications are now open for the Women Leading Now program, with funded places for Regional Leadership’s three community-based programs based in Ballarat and the Western, Goulburn Murray and Wimmera regions set to open soon.

For more information and to apply, visit the Victorian Rural Women’s Network website at extensionaus.com.au/VRWNetwork/leadership-and-mentoring-program

The flowers of both species look similar with six pink-salmon coloured petal-like segments with a yellow centre.

Stems are usually zig-zagged in appearance and grow to 75 cm high. Both species have long strap-like leaves and as the name implies, cape tulip (one-leaf) has only one leaf per plant, whereas cape tulip (two-leaf) has two to three leaves per plant.

Mr Moerkerk said there are two control methods to remove cape tulip from an infected area: the application of a registered herbicide, or the physical removal of the entire plant, including the roots (and corms), from the soil.

“To control the spread of cape tulip early identification and management before the plants become established and set seed in an area is critical. The best results will be achieved where landowners work together to control infestations in an area,” Mr Moerkerk said.

The plants are perennial species, but all material growing above ground will dieback in summer and the plants will persist via corms (bulb-like structures) below the ground. Plants can produce up to 1,200 seeds per plant and 7,000 corms per square metre.

Cape tulip (one leaf) is a declared Regionally Controlled Weed in the Wimmera Catchment under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and all landowners have a responsibility to take all reasonable steps to prevent the growth and spread of cape tulip on their land.

Cape tulip (two leaf) is not as widely distributed throughout the Wimmera Catchment and is declared as a Regionally Prohibited Weed. All landowners must take all reasonable steps to eradicate the species on their land. 

Further information on cape tulips can be found on our website: agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/weeds/priority-weeds, or call 136 186. If you suspect livestock have cape tulip poisoning call your private veterinarian or contact Agriculture Victoria and ask to speak to a district veterinary officer or animal health officer in your region.

“Leaf discoloration is typically bright yellow in barley, yellow and/or reddish in wheat and red in oats,” Ms Nancarrow said.

Symptoms can take around three weeks to appear after infection, while many infected grasses are symptomless.

Ms Nancarrow said although it can be difficult to distinguish symptoms of YDV infection from those caused by nutrient deficiencies or other plant stresses, plants infected with YDV are usually stunted with bright yellow or red leaf tips, are often most noticeable on the edge of the crop or as random plants scattered throughout the crop, and are frequently surrounded by healthy green plants.

“Patches of yellow or red stunted plants can be also attributed to virus infection as a result of secondary infection,” Ms Nancarrow said.

YDV are transmitted from infected to healthy plants by aphids, most commonly the oat and corn aphid. The viruses and aphids survive between seasons in volunteer cereals or pasture grasses.

Ms Nancarrow said conditions have been favorable for YDV in the Wimmera and southern Mallee regions with the emergence of grasses and volunteer cereals following rains in late summer and early autumn, as well as aphids being active since early in the season with populations likely to increase as summer approaches.

“It’s important to control the grasses and volunteer cereals around the crop that could potentially be reservoirs for viruses and aphids, and to monitor crops regularly for the presence of aphids, virus symptoms and beneficial insects,” Ms Nancarrow said.

Management options include use of an appropriate insecticide if aphid numbers are high, particularly at sowing or early in the growing season, taking into consideration insecticide resistance and the effects on beneficial insects.

More information about Yellow Dwarf Virus can be found on the Agriculture Victoria website: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/plant-diseases/grain-pulses-and-cereal-diseases/barleyyellow-dwarf-virus.

State-wide rainfall late in the cropping season sets Victorian grain growers up for a terrific harvest this year.

Agriculture Victoria grains industry Biosecurity Officer Jim Moran said to maximise financial returns from this year’s harvest, growers must maintain grain quality by implementing excellent hygiene practices.

“Hygienically harvesting, transporting and storing grain requires active and ongoing interventions to ensure the harvest income isn’t reduced by storage pests and diseases which can reduce quality, price and consequently limit your market options,” Mr Moran said.

Hygiene strategies that should be put in place now, include:

• Clean up grain residues and spills around silos, bunkers and sheds
• Clean out empty grain storages, grain handling and harvesting equipment and machinery (apply a structural treatment such as a desiccant dust to each surface prior to using)
• Repair seals around hatches, latches and chutes to prevent access by insects
• Plan for the capability to aerate the new crop in the silo as a cooler environment slows down the insect breeding cycle, making it easier to control arriving insects
• Get advice on chemical grain protectants to use on new grain and how best to apply if you plan to store grain for lengthy periods
• Stay informed: Get a free copy of the Monitoring Stored Grain on Farm booklet and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) publication Grain Storage GrowNote from Agriculture Victoria
• Ensure grain from this year’s harvest isn’t mixed with grain from previous harvests to prevent the risk of cross-contamination from any persistent insects or disease
• If using a contractor, ask these five important questions; Where did you last harvest?, Did the property have any hard-to-kill or herbicide-resistant weeds?, What was the last crop harvested?, When, how and where did you clean down? Did you use a desiccant dust to eliminate stored grain pests?

Mr Moran said he recommended farmers insist any contractors coming to work on their property cleans vehicles and equipment before entering.

“Soil and plant material can carry weed-seeds and pests when left on tyres, radiator grilles, wheel arches, floor mats and work boots.

“Make sure you check any machinery or vehicles that are going to be working on your farm and remember if you are not satisfied with their cleanliness, you can direct them to your vehicle clean-down station or a designated area which can be monitored.

“If there are no clean down facilities on farm, explore other options in the community that can provide wash down facilities or similar service. There are other options to doing nothing.”

If you would like a free biosecurity gate sign or other grain biosecurity information please contact Jim Moran at Agriculture Victoria on (03) 5430 4479.

Mr Moran is also wanting to test grain storage insects for Phosphine resistance under a GRDC program and is looking for sites for setting Khapra Beetle surveillance traps under the Sentinel Silo program.

More essential grain hygiene information is available here www.farmbiosecurity.com.au and here www.agriculture.vic.gov.au

Image caption: Lambs on dry annual pasture have limited access to green feed and, therefore less antioxidants (vitamin E) and essential fatty acids.

Agriculture Victoria scientists have shown that using lucerne hay as a feed supplement can improve the productivity and nutritional value of sheep meat in a changing climate.

Agriculture Victoria scientist Eric Ponnampalam said this latest research further confirms more than a decade of studies that demonstrate adding lucerne to sheep diets provides a host of benefits.

“This research is the first in the world to prove a diet supplemented with lucerne hay is equal to a feedlot diet,” Dr Ponnampalam said.

“Climate change is causing the yield, persistence and nutritive value of pastures to decline in many parts of southern Australia, particularly during the summer and autumn months.”

Supplementing diets with cereal grains, legume seeds or concentrates over summer and autumn can maintain animal growth rates during periods when pastures are sparse. 

However, supplements are costly and may cause digestive problems such as acidosis or bloating unless appropriate feeding strategies are maintained.

Dr Ponnampalam said this project compared feeding a low-energy diet supplemented with lucerne hay to a high-energy diet supplemented with a barley-oat grain mix, to both crossbred and Merino sheep.

The results demonstrated that using lucerne hay rather than grains as a supplement had a range of advantages and didn’t negatively affect liveweight or carcass weight at slaughter of both breeds.

“Lucerne hay is a win-win. It maintained the animal’s body weight equal to the grain diet and was better at both providing essential nutrients and preserving the meat’s red colour,” Dr Ponnampalam said.

“Colour is very important, as consumers don’t buy meat that has turned brown – the cuts are immediately removed from retail display and turned into mince or go on sale.

“Our findings offer farmers a cheaper, home-grown solution to maintaining year-round productivity on-farm, particularly when faced with the impacts of climate change on their feedbase.”

Dr Ponnampalam said farmers can harvest lucerne in spring, store it as a hay or silage, and subsequently feed to livestock in summer and autumn when required. Therefore, farmers can sell larger carcasses at a lesser expense.

“Lucerne is also easier for farmers to store than grain, and it can improve soil fertility via nitrogen fixation when used as a rotational crop.

“Our research is identifying lucerne as having the potential to be a ruminant diet, not only for sheep, but for cattle and dairy as well.”

Photo caption: Frontier Farming Systems consultant Michael moddie is investigating trafficability options on deep ripped paddocks to avoid tield penalties including rolling and seeding bar configuration. Photo: Ag Communicators

Growers are being encouraged to consolidate deep ripped paddocks with a roller before sowing as researchers investigate solutions to yield penalties from soil throw and excessive seed depth.

Soft soil after deep ripping can cause the seeder to sink too deep, as well as excessive soil throw during the seeding operation. These result in deep seed placement, reduced seedling emergence, over exposure of the seedling to pre-emergent herbicides and poor crop vigour.

Management options for paddock trafficability post ripping, especially when winds cause slumped furrows or topsoil erosion, are also the subject of further investigation.

While research to validate and remedy these issues is still in its early stages, Frontier Farming Systems consultant Michael Moodie says there are great yield benefits to be gained from deep ripping, provided growers can sow the ripped areas effectively and get good crop establishment.

The sandy soils of the low rainfall Mallee regions of South Australia and Victoria are commonly affected by a consolidated sub-surface soil layer, as well as non-wetting, poor fertility or acidity constraints.

“These soils have quite high resistance problems typically at 30 to 50 centimetres depths, but if we can overcome that with deep ripping then we’re finding big benefits, with average yield increases of 0.6 tonnes per hectare,” Mr Moodie said.

“The yield benefits are driven by an increase in water use efficiency and the ability of crops to reach below the previously consolidated layer to tap into deep soil moisture at the end of the season.”

Mr Moodie said growers should examine the position of tynes on their seeding bar as work within the GRDC investment ‘Increasing production on sandy soils in the low-medium rainfall areas of the southern region’ has shown front tynes may need to be raised for ripped paddocks. This is because as the seeder moves, the ripped soil is easily thrown by the rear tynes into the furrows sown by the front tyne rows.

Results from a new trial at Pinnaroo (SA) this year showed a 16 per cent decrease in wheat establishment and reduced early vigour in deep ripped paddocks. This is primarily caused by the seeder sinking into the soft soil and the rear tynes throwing soil into the furrows created by the front tynes, resulting in a seeding depth up to 30 millimetres.

Mr Moodie said results so far indicated rolling the surface of the ripped paddock before sowing was the most promising solution. He said this reduced the sinking of the seeder, the risk of furrow slumping and susceptibility to wind erosion after sowing.

As a part of the research, which is also funded by South Australian Grain Industry Trust (SAGIT), growers and researchers are also investigating press wheel design to roll the ripped surface, ripping at an angle to seeding direction to prevent soil throw and implementing a controlled or semi-controlled traffic system which leaves certain wheel tracks un-ripped, thereby preventing sinking.

More information on practical remedies to target challenges of deep ripped soils can be found in the GRDC Paddock Practices at https://bit.ly/33RNR8v.

Have you listened to the new AgVic Talk podcast yet?

We have several episodes out now, including:

• Spring pasture management of fire affected pastures with Fiona Baker
• Getting a foot in the door using drones on-farm with Clay-Gowers
• Balancing wet winters and dairy farming with Craig Dwyer
• Managing a dairy farm in a variable climate with Kevin Fitzsimons
• Using soil moisture monitoring to help manage seasonal risk with Dale Boyd.

Listen here.

#SnapshotRuralVic, an initiative of the National Centre for Farmer Health is bringing Victorians from Buchan to Bendigo, and Kyabram to Kennedys Creek together to tell a unique story of rural life in Victoria during the second wave COVID-19 lockdown. 

Since launching over seven weeks ago, over 1,000 people have shared their photos and stories of everyday rural life over a number of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the www.farmerhealth.org.au website. 

During a time when people are more disconnected than ever, it has proved to be a valuable outlet for people to connect and share aspects of how life goes on during lockdown.  One participant noted #SnapshotRuralVic 'picked me up when feeling down and I enjoyed the positive and motivating pictures.'

Social media analytics show both rural and metropolitan areas are joining in with feedback received from the participants overwhelmingly positive.

‘Seeing other people’s photos/experiences keeps me engaged and motivated’ and ‘I love seeing photos of other farmer’s places and the things that they do’.

Project Officer, Hilary McAllister says "it has been encouraging to see that the simple act of sharing a photo or story is keeping other people motivated during this lockdown."

Each week, there is a new theme with the most recent Covid cooking, masks on farms and stories from the shed.

"Some of the photos of the projects that people have been doing have been simply amazing", Ms McAllister said.

A weekly shortlist of the entries also go in the running to win the People’s Choice Award with the lucky winner receiving a $100 voucher to a local Victorian business of their choice.

With only a few weeks remaining, the National Centre for Farmer Health is hoping to see the community continue to grow.

The campaign will culminate at the #SnapshotRuralVic Awards which will take place virtually in early November.

The Awards will consider all #SnapshotRuralVic submissions and provide those who haven’t yet participated with the opportunity to be in the running for the many prizes still on offer. 

All submissions across the 10 weeks of the campaign will be considered for judging, with categories including ‘Celebrating the Next Generation’, ‘Lamb of the Year’ and ‘Best Covid-Kitchen Creation’. The campaign will conclude on Friday 6th November.

For further information, visit www.farmerhealth.org.au/snapshotruralvic  or reach out to the Snapshot Online Project Officer, Hilary McAllister, directly at hmcallister@wdhs.net or on 0490483548 for more information.

Details about Agriculture Victoria events can now be found in one spot on our website. 

Agriculture Victoria will host a number of climate and agriculture science talks in its latest lunchtime webinar series.

Having proved popular the first time around, the lunchtime webinars are designed for busy people chasing fast facts about climate and agriculture research.

Participants will hear from a broad range of expert speakers from Agriculture Victoria, North East Catchment Management Authority (NECMA), University of Tasmania and other agencies.

Scheduled to speak this series, are:

• Agriculture Victoria, Senior Research Scientist Dr Craig Beverly: over two webinars Dr Beverly will talk about using climate data in agriculture and how this data was applied in the Mallee
• Dr Rebecca Harris from University of Tasmania: will share Australia’s Wine Future: A Wine Climate Atlas which shows how wine-region climates have changed, with more to come
• Agriculture Victoria, Climate Specialist, Graeme Anderson: will talk about using seasonal forecasts and share new tools developed with a GRDC project for south eastern Australia.

Land managers, service providers, researchers and educators are encouraged to subscribe to our climate updates and newsletters.

Any queries can be directed to Climate Development Officer Heather Field at heather.field@agriculture.vic.gov.au

For more information and to subscribe to stay up to date with these upcoming climate webinars visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/climate

Do you know the NLIS requirements for goats sold at public and online auctions?

Participants will learn about the national traceability system, how to complete a Property-to-Property (P2P) transfer and use the NLIS database features.

Part 1: Wednesday 21 October, 7 – 8 pm

Part 2: Wednesday 28 October, 7 – 8 pm

Attendance at both sessions is required.

Topics

1. Overview of the Victorian traceability system
2. Setting up, navigating and using the NLIS database
3. Completing Property-to-Property (P2P) transfers on the NLIS database.

For both sessions, register with eventbrite.

For more information, or if you have trouble registering, please call (03) 5761 1647.

Numbers are limited to allow for an interactive session, so be quick to secure a spot! Participants are required to set up their NLIS account prior to attending the webinar, further information on how to do this and how to join the webinar will be provided at registration.​

Agriculture Victoria is delivering a webinar for livestock producers with a focus on applying nutrients based on soil test results.

​Topics covered:

• How much nutrient to apply
• When to apply
• Prioritising nutrient resources
• Balancing the removal of nutrient.​

Thursday 22 October, 12.30 – 1.30 pm

Join the applying soil test results webinar via Zoom.

Contact Tess McDougall 0409 841 492 or tess.mcdougall@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Managing and forecasting cash flow is essential for any business. For farmers it’s particularly important given the highly variable income that comes with seasonal conditions, market fluctuations and unforeseen circumstances such as fire or floods.

Being prepared, both on the farm and on the books, will assist in preparing for and managing challenging situations.

Farm Cash Flow 101 is a two-session course designed to help farmers understand cash flow budgets, and develop confidence using spreadsheets for cash flow management.

Using case study figures from a farming operation, Farm Cash Flow 101 presenter farm business specialist Jim Moll, from AgBiz Assist, will show you how to develop a simple cashflow budget for your farm business, to get a better handle on managing income and expenditure over the next 12 months.

Once mastered, these simple Excel® spreadsheets can become an integral part of farm financial planning and management, revised regularly to reflect current circumstances.

Monday, 26 October, 11 am - 12 pm

• Why cash flow budgets are important and how they assist farm businesses
• Introduction to cash flow budgeting and spreadsheet basics

Wednesday, 28 October, 11 am - 12 pm

• Adapting cash flow budgets to different production systems
• Refining the spreadsheet

Register on Eventbrite: https://farm-cash-flow-budgets.eventbrite.com.au/

Join-in information and an Excel® spreadsheet template will be provided prior to the sessions.

For more information: contact Greg Ferrier on greg.ferrier@agriculture.vic.gov.au or 0438 738 634.

The webinar is provided in partnership with AgBiz Assist and the Rural Financial Counselling Service, through the support of the Victorian and Federal Governments.

Higher summer temperatures and greater frequency of extreme temperatures events, along with water scarcity, are likely to be the major climate change related threats to irrigated agriculture in the Mallee.

In this webinar, the project team will summarise the findings from a recent project to assess the likely impact of future climates on dominant irrigated crops in the Mallee. We will hear how the results from this work have provided input into the development of adaptive management strategies.

Presenters

• Natalie Mason, Agriculture Victoria
• Anna Roberts, Natural Decisions
• Don Arnold, Mallee CMA

Register here to attend.

Date: Thursday 22 October

Time: 12 pm 

Duration: 1 hour

Cost: Free

You can join our webinars via your web browser, the WebEx app on your phone, tablet or iPad or by dialling in.

For more information about these webinars, including assistance joining the webinar, email climate.webinars@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Webinar - Wednesday 21 October, 7.30 pm

Retain, bale and graze, or slash and burn?

There’s a lot to think about at harvest and managing your stubble load will help you with your cropping program next year.

Stefan Schmitt, Yorke Peninsula agronomist and researcher from Ag Consulting and Research, will cover the key agronomy considerations of stubble retention farming. This will include the decisions that need to be made now to aid the establishment of crops into retained stubbles next year.

Stefan was involved in the GRDC’s ‘Stubble Initiative’, which developed regional guidelines for managing stubble retained systems.

This webinar will prepare landholders to:

• Understand the cost benefits of retaining stubble
• Understand the benefits to soil health
• Learn how to calculate stubble loads
• How to set up stubbles for 2020.

This webinar is for people who are considering the options of managing stubble.

Please register using the details below. You will receive a link to the webinar by email, you need this link to join. We suggest joining early at 7.20 pm.

To register or for more information please contact:

Martin Hamilton (Agriculture Victoria, Bendigo) on 0429 946 149 or martin.hamilton@agriculture.vic.gov.au

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