• Investing in the next generation of Victorian farmers
• Now is the time for ragwort control
• Producers reminded to use CVDs as drought continues
• Small-scale and craft grants help agribusiness thrive
• Improving the nutritive value of pasture
• New genomic research to future-proof pasture grasses
• Young Farmer Business Network
• Finding Australia's next generation of lamb leaders
• Drought and dry seasons support services and information
• Planning support for small-scale pig and poultry producers
• What's on
• Save-the-date

Thirteen young farmers from across Victoria have received the State Government’s Upskill and Invest Young Farmers Scholarships, supporting the state’s future agriculture leaders to shine.

Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes this week announced the winners of the fifth round of scholarships, celebrating young farmers from around Victoria across diverse agriculture sectors including goat dairy, cropping, chestnuts and livestock.

Upskill and Invest Young Farmer Scholarships are worth up to $10,000 per farmer – with $5000 to upskill through training and study in areas like farm management, financial literacy, product development or innovative farming techniques, making sure the next generation of farming leaders are developing world-class skills.

Once they complete their studies, recipients are eligible for an additional funding boost of up to $5,000 to invest on-farm or in professional development – putting their new skills into practice and boosting their businesses.

To date, the scholarship program has seen 63 young recipients go from strength to strength in their careers – and is an important part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to grow the state’s agriculture sector to $20 billion by 2030.

The successful recipients include:

• Sophia Christoe, dairy (goat), Mount Alexander
• Hannah Dowsett, livestock (mixed), Wellington
• Bridget Doyle, livestock (beef), Benalla
• Clay Gowers, cropping, Mildura
• Edward Guthridge, dairy, Corangamite
• Jackson Keane, horticulture (garlic) and livestock (sheep), Macedon Ranges
• Jessica Knight, dairy, Wellington
• Nicola Letts, horticulture (chestnuts) and livestock (pigs) Alpine
• Andrew Murphy, dairy, Campaspe
• Joseph Sutherland, livestock (sheep), Southern Grampians
• Joseph Watts, cropping and livestock (sheep), Buloke
• Dallas Willersdorf, livestock (sheep) and grains, Mildura
• Rebekah Winter, dairy, Colac-Otway.

Applications for the 2020 Young Farmers Scholarships will open in mid-2020, with farmers aged 35 or under encouraged to apply. To find out more about the scholarships program, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/youngfarmers.

Landholders across the West Gippsland Catchment are reminded that now is the time to undertake ragwort control before plants mature, flower and set seed.

Biosecurity Officer Alex Pattinson said early season ragwort control is the most effective way to stop ragwort from seeding and spreading across the landscape. 

“Ragwort is a declared regionally controlled weed in West Gippsland under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994, and all land managers have a responsibility to prevent its growth and spread to ensure they don’t adversely affect agricultural production and the environment.

“There are a number of prescribed measures for ragwort control including the application of a registered herbicide, soil cultivation and physical removal,” she said.

Ragwort seeds are spread by wind, water, animals, farm implements, agricultural produce including hay, on clothing and other equipment. Seeds are known to become airborne and travel for long distances. Ragwort seeds can remain viable in the soil for 8¬¬-16 years.

“It is imperative that all landowners work together to treat ragwort simultaneously to minimise seed set and the risk of seed spread across adjoining properties.” Ms Pattinson said

Penalties of up to $39,000 can apply where landowners fail to comply with a notice issued for the control of a regionally controlled weed under the under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994.

For more information about ragwort visit the Agriculture Victoria website at www.agriculture.vic.gov.au or call our Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

With many regions across the country facing ongoing drought conditions, livestock producers purchasing fodder and grain are being urged to seek a Commodity Vendor Declaration (CVD).

A CVD is a key document within the red meat integrity system that guarantees introduced feed is safe from chemical contamination. It is a key component under the, ‘Fodder crop, grain and pasture treatments and stock foods’ element of the Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) program, managed by Integrity Systems Company (ISC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).

ISC Chief Executive Officer Dr Jane Weatherley said the CVD is an important tool in safeguarding livestock feed supply and meeting requirements for product integrity, contributing to the overall quality assurance of Australia’s red meat industry.

“With producers increasingly buying-in feed amid tough seasonal conditions, it’s important to maintain Australia’s commitment to producing safe and high quality red meat products that meet global market expectations,” Dr Weatherley said.

“Record keeping is critical to enable the traceability of stock feeds provided to animals, protecting the integrity of Australian red meat and ensuring market access.

“Any producer obtaining fodder or grain from a third party should ensure the supplier completes a CVD, so they know exactly what is being fed to their livestock and can guarantee their livestock are residue free.”

The single-page form contains accurate details of the commodity’s composition, identifying chemical treatments applied to the commodity before or during harvest or in storage.

Where livestock have been fed feedstuffs that have been treated with chemicals, additional records should be kept including details of relevant Withholding Periods and Export Slaughter Intervals.

The CVD provides information on the feedstuff’s origin, either from a single source or via multi-vendor storage, such as when it has passed through a grain depot, cotton gin or seed storage site. The declaration also ensures the feedstuff does not include restricted animal material (RAM) such as meat and bone meal, which is illegal to feed to ruminants.

Dr Weatherley said LPA accredited producers are being urged to source stockfeed only from suppliers who are willing to vouch for its content by providing an accompanying CVD. Furthermore, completed CVDs should be filed alongside other farm records.

The CVD can be downloaded as a single PDF from the MLA website here. To assist both feed suppliers and red meat producers, a page of explanatory notes is provided with the blank CVD.

A fact sheet and learning course around LPA element three, ‘Stock feed, fodder crops, grain and pasture treatments’ can be accessed here.

The State Government is supporting Victorian small-scale agricultural businesses to grow – boosting jobs, attracting visitors and making sure regional communities are vibrant destinations to live and visit.

The government is encouraging small-scale and craft agribusinesses across Victoria to apply for the Small-Scale and Craft Program.

Two streams of funding are available under the $10 million program:

• Small-Scale and Craft Business Development grants of up to $25,000 for projects that support eligible small-scale and craft producers to scale up, expand their operations and diversify their products
• Job Creation and Economic Development grants of between $25,000-$200,000 for eligible small-scale and craft agribusinesses to deliver significant projects that deliver benefits to the community and generate jobs.

Projects involving multiple businesses are encouraged to apply.

The Small-Scale and Craft Program is a four-year program that builds on the Artisanal Sector Program to support businesses looking to scale-up operations, diversify product lines and expand outreach.

Applications for Small-Scale and Craft Business Development grants close on 6 December.

Expressions of interest for Job Creation and Economic Development grants close on 31 December.

For more information and to apply for a grant, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture.

Research conducted at Agriculture Victoria’s Hamilton research centre is helping to overcome this.

In this research, data was collected from ryegrass plants using a field spectrometer – a scientific instrument which can measure substances in plants such as sugars or fibres.

The data collected by the spectrometer was then used to develop prediction models for eight nutritive value parameters such as protein, fibre and digestibility.

Agriculture Victoria Research Scientist Chaya Smith said the new field-based model was very promising for pasture breeding programs and farmers.

“This will provide a way to improve the nutritive value of forage varieties that is much faster and cheaper than anything that currently exists,” she said.

The models also provide a tool for selection in breeding programs with a high degree of accuracy comparable to laboratory-based spectrometry.

“The accuracy varies with each of the eight nutritive value parameters, but protein, dry matter and digestibility were 80 per cent accurate,” Ms Smith said.

“For more complex traits such as fibre content, we are collecting more samples from different environments and growing seasons to make the prediction model more robust.

“We are also developing a machine learning approach to improve the prediction of sugar content, which is complex as grass sugar content changes over the course of the day.”

Australia’s grazing industries will benefit significantly from pastures with better nutritive value.

Ms Smith said improvement in these herbage quality traits would increase the amount of nutrition available for stock and would decrease the need for, and reliance on, costly
supplements.

“Eventually, as the model is further developed, it could also be a tool for farmers to check the quality of their pasture in the field, providing relevant, real-time information for decision making,”
she said.

This research is part of the DairyBio joint venture between Agriculture Victoria, Dairy Australia and the Gardiner Foundation.

Australia’s red meat industry is set to benefit from new pasture grass research focused on increasing its production and profitability and helping to safeguard it in a changing climate.

Agriculture Victoria research scientists have generated the world’s first genomic reference for the pasture grass Phalaris, a perennial grass commonly used in Australia’s red meat industry because it is persistent and supports high levels of animal production.

Until now very little has been known about the genetic makeup of Phalaris, partly due to its complexity, and this has limited its genetic improvement.

Agriculture Victoria research scientists generated DNA sequences for more than 56,000 genes from the Phalaris genome using its next generation sequencing and advanced scientific computing capabilities.

Within the Phalaris genes more than half a million individual DNA markers were identified, including those than control important traits such as yield, persistence and seed retention.

Agriculture Victoria research scientist Dr Noel Cogan said the research enabled pasture breeders and industry to develop elite pasture varieties using genomic selection.

“This research provides the basis for a genomic breeding program in Phalaris that can create superior varieties for Australia’s red meat industry,” Dr Cogan said.

“We have set the scene for Phalaris to join the ranks of other key livestock and plant species, like perennial ryegrass, that are experiencing significant rates of genetic gain and improvements.”

Dr Cogan said this research could be used to future-proof Victoria’s red meat industry in a changing climate.

“Phalaris could become hugely valuable due to its persistence and ability to adapt to hotter temperatures.

“In what is by far the largest contribution to genomic research in Phalaris in the world, our research has set the basis for a modern Phalaris breeding program using genomic selection approaches – it is now for industry to take the next step.”

Agriculture Victoria conducted this research at AgriBio, the Centre for AgriBioscience in Victoria – Australia’s premier state-of-the-art agribioscience facility.

This research was a collaboration between Agriculture Victoria, the University of Melbourne and the CSIRO.

Young Farmers of Victoria – this is your network to talk about farm business management with other like-minded young farmers through social media, articles, online and face to face forums.

Click here to join and learn more about the Young Farmer Business Network Facebook group.

Are you, or do you know someone, aged 18 –35 years who is passionate about the Australian sheep and lamb industry?

Well, we'd like to let them know that the LambEx 2020 Young Guns competition is open!

Six finalists will be selected from round one of the LambEx 2020 Young Guns competition to attend the conference in Melbourne, receive travel assistance up to $800, and will be provided with professional development opportunities during the event.

Entering the competition is easy! LambEx wants to hear your vision on how to connect the Australian sheep and lamb industry with city consumers.

Simply capture your vision in three minutes or less using any digital medium(s) including (but not limited to) video, photography with voice overlay, digital storytelling, graphics, animation, GoPro etc.

Unleash your creativity over the coming months to prepare and submit your entry by 31 January 2020.

For information go to: https://lambex.com.au/lambex-young-guns/

This program is now open to assist eligible farm businesses to invest in on-farm drought preparedness and to seek business advice.

A grant of up to $5,000 (GST exclusive) per farm business is available to assist eligible farm businesses to implement on-farm infrastructure improvements and or undertake business planning and advice activities.

The Scheme is available to eligible farm businesses in the local government shires of Wellington and East Gippsland.

For more information and to access the grant call Rural Finance on 1800 260 425 or visit ruralfinance.com.au.

For more information about other drought and dry seasonal conditions support from Agriculture Victoria go to agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call 136 186.

Drought employment program

The East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority received further funding for the Drought Employment Program in the recent drought funding announcement by the Victorian Government.

The program has been providing temporary employment for people across the East Gippsland and Wellington shires impacted by the drought. Details about the next round and other drought and dry seasonal conditions support will be available soon at agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons.

Have you dropped into our offices at Bairnsdale, Maffra or Swifts Creek lately?

Did you know you can make an appointment to talk to a staff member about a pasture recovery grant, drought assistance and technical workshops in the region?

You can also make a time to have a one-on-one consultation.

You will find us at:

• 574 Main Street, Bairnsdale (same place as the DELWP office)
• 1 Stratford Road, Maffra
• 13 McMillan Avenue, Swifts Creek (same place as the DELWP office)

As always you can also get more information, tools and advice online at agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call us on 136 186.

Producers are encouraged to access the On-Farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme for the purchase and installation of emergency water infrastructure for livestock.

In Gippsland, the scheme is available to eligible farm businesses in the Wellington and East Gippsland shires.

Farm businesses NOT in these local government areas can make an application if they can demonstrate a critical water need for livestock resulting from current seasonal conditions.
These applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The scheme is available for water infrastructure purchased since 1 July 2018. Guidelines and application details can be obtained from Rural Finance.

Did you know that the Agriculture Victoria’s Beef and Sheep Drought Feeding and Management online books have a new home?

They are housed and updated on the FeedLivestock website and can be downloaded or viewed in whole or as individual chapters on any device.

Other key features of the website, include:

• tools and calculators
• sheep resources
• beef resources
• climate information
• unusual feeds
• stock water information.

Provides Victorian small-scale pig and poultry producers with funding of up to $3,000 to help them with the costs related to obtaining a land use planning permit.

Who can apply:

At a minimum, you must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be seeking a land use planning permit for an existing or proposed small-scale pig or poultry farm located in Victoria
• complete a small-scale pig and poultry planning workshop prior to applying for the grant program.
• Other eligibility requirements may apply.

Deadline to apply: Applications close: 31 May 2020

Applications will remain open until 31 May 2020, or when the funding allocation is expended, whichever occurs first.

Contact information: 13 61 86 or psai@ecodev.vic.gov.au

APPLY HERE: Planning Support Program for Small-Scale Pig and Poultry Producers VIC

Agriculture Victoria will cancel workshops on Code Red fire danger days

For more information about the workshop and to register by Friday 29 November (for catering purposes), contact Caroline Love at caroline.love@agriculture.vic.gov.au or on 5152 0603, 0427 515 668.

For more information about the event and to register please contact:

• Del Delpitiya, Agriculture Victoria, Ellinbank on (03) 56242206 or at del.delpitiya@agriculture.vic.gov.au
• David Shambrook, Agriculture Victoria, Leongatha on (03) 56629913 or at david.shambrook@agriculture.vic.gov.au
• Maria Rose, Agriculture Victoria, Maffra on (03) 51470843 or at maria.rose@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

Click here