• Coronavirus (COVID-19) update
• Revamped Agriculture Victoria website launched
• Why didn't the vet give me antibiotics?
• Gorse talk and virtual field day
• Report suspect Ehrlichiosis infections
• Improving digital literacy and connectivity on-farm
• Rural women leadership opportunities
• Reuniting lost pets with owners
• Agriculture jobs boost for regional Victoria
• Farm safety officers
• Science and Planning Graduate Program
• Free bee biosecurity course
• Fox and wild dog bounty collections details
• Young farmer business network
• What's on

Face coverings mandatory across Victoria and new restrictions for some regional areas

From Sunday 2 August at 11:59pm, a face covering will be mandatory whenever you leave home – and wherever you live.

From 11:59pm on Thursday 30 July in the local government areas of Colac-Otway, Greater Geelong, Surf Coast, Moorabool, Golden Plains, and the Borough of Queenscliffe, you will no longer be able to visit people or have visitors at home.

For more information, please visit the Department of Health and Human Services website

Border travel restrictions

Restrictions on the movement of Victorians across our borders with South Australia (SA) and New South Wales (NSW) are now in place.

The Victorian Premier, the Prime Minister and the Premier of NSW agreed to close the border between Victoria and NSW from 8 July 2020.

From midnight Wednesday 22 July, a border zone, defined along the Murray River, has been established.

Entry to NSW from Victoria will be restricted, and exemptions for NSW residents travelling from the Victorian side of the border zone will be limited.

Permits issued up until the commencement of the border zone expired at midnight 21 July. Individuals eligible under the new rules will need to apply for a new permit. This closure is being enforced by NSW Police.

There are also restrictions in place for Victorians travelling into South Australia. People from Victoria may not enter South Australia unless they are an Essential Traveller.

For more information about the NSW border restrictions and cross border management in that state, including entry permits, visit Service NSW website, or call their dedicated coronavirus (COVID-19) information line on 13 77 88. No permit is required to enter Victoria from NSW.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries provides a coronavirus (COVID-19) concierge service to support primary producers to navigate the current restrictions.

This concierge service can be contacted directly at covidinfo@dpi.nsw.gov.au.

For more information about the South Australian border restrictions, visit the South Australian Government COVID-19 website, or call their dedicated coronavirus (COVID-19) information line on 1800 253 787.

No permit or approval is required to enter Victoria from another state – however you will need to adhere to the restrictions and directions that are in place to slow the spread of coronavirus in Victoria.

For the most up to date information about coronavirus (COVID-19) and current restrictions in Victoria, visit the Department of Health and Human Services website.

People in Victoria can also call the coronavirus (COVID-19) hotline on 1800 675 398.

Agriculture Victoria’s redeveloped flagship website is now live.

The new website is home to 2500 pages of content, spanning livestock, grain and crop industries, farm management, animal welfare, climate and biosecurity.

The new design and structure of the website is based on user research, so information is easier for website visitors to find what they’re looking for, with improved responsiveness and accessibility.

Agriculture Victoria’s website is a crucial resource for agriculture industries.

In the past year, the old website attracted 1.6 million visitors from Australia with 4.5 million page views.

The redevelopment process took about 15 months, from user-research through delivery of the new website including the design, build, content editing and migration.

About 1600 pages of content were edited to ensure currency and relevance, taking more than 3000 hours from the content team of four people.

The Agriculture Victoria website is where Victorians can apply for a Property Identification Code, order NLIS tags, apply for a source number through the Pet Exchange Register, and register as a beekeeper.

It also provides Victorians with useful advice on moving livestock, plants and plant products, state prohibited weeds, chemical use, pest animals and insects, animal welfare codes of practice, legislation and regulation, and notifiable diseases in animals.

In addition, it has information on Agriculture Victoria’s key programs, services and initiatives, including drought, dry seasons, bushfire recovery and emergency support, grants available, and networks to get involved in.

Check out the new Agriculture Victoria website by visiting agriculture.vic.gov.au

Berwyn Squire - Goat Health Veterinary Officer, Agriculture Victoria

Would you expect the pharmacist to hand over antibiotics to you without you having seen a doctor first? Well, it is a similar situation with veterinarians.

One reason is to do with the dispensing and drug laws, as veterinarians are required to have a bone fide client relationship before they can prescribe, authorise and dispense or supply Schedule 4 (prescription-only) medicines to animal owners.

This means your veterinarian must have been on your property, have an understanding of your farming system and have seen your animals within a certain time period.

A bona fide veterinarian-client relationship exists where each of the following occurs:

• The veterinarian has assumed responsibility for making judgments regarding the health and welfare of the animal/s and the need for treatment, with the owner’s agreement

• The veterinarian has sufficient knowledge of the animal/s to initiate at least a general or preliminary diagnosis of their medical condition. This means that the veterinarian has recently seen and is personally acquainted with the keeping and care of the animal/s by virtue of a clinical examination, or by medically appropriate and timely visits to where the animal/s are kept

• The veterinarian is available, or has arranged for adequate emergency coverage, for follow-up evaluation in the event of an adverse reaction or failure of the treatment regimen.

Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging global threat and you can do your part by following your veterinarian’s advice and by only using and sourcing antibiotics prescribed by them.

The use of veterinary chemicals is constantly being reviewed due to concerns that resistant bacteria  “superbugs” are developing through over/misuse of antibiotics – this may be one reason why your veterinarian prescribes the exact dose rather than the bottle.

Unlike human antibiotics which come in convenient-sized packages with enough for a standard course, veterinary medicines, especially with livestock, are provided in bulk as there can be a wide variance in dose, depending on the animal’s weight.

It is important to develop a working relationship with your veterinarian. They are a vital part of your community, and most times when you need them it is at short notice, after hours or in an emergency.

Take the opportunity when you are getting your dog/cat vaccinated or picking up worming tablets for them, to talk to your veterinarian about your livestock, explain what your main issues are and ask how they can help and what services they can provide.

You may not think your veterinarian sees many livestock, especially if they are city based, but they have professional networks where they can discuss cases and ask for advice.

For more information on how to prevent antibiotic resistant infections talk to your local veterinarian, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/livestock-health-and-welfare/antibiotic-resistant-infections or contact Agriculture Victoria Animal Health staff on 136 186.

The latest edition of the Victorian Gorse Taskforce’s newsletter, Gorse Talk is now available online.

You can catch up with all the taskforce’s news in their July edition here.

Featuring an article about a Virtual Demonstration Field Day, the taskforce has produced a series of five videos for landholders.

Topics include gorse and the farm, gorse and fire, gorse and the science, gorse and feral animal, and gorse and property values.

The videos can be viewed on the VGT website

Victorian vets should be aware cases of the disease Ehrlichiosis were recently confirmed in dogs in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

This is the first time an Ehrlichiosis infection has been confirmed in Australia in dogs that weren’t imported. The disease is caused by bacteria that are only transmitted through bites from infected ticks.

Be aware of the symptoms of the disease the disease and report if you suspect infection.

Ehrlichiosis is a nationally notifiable disease. For suspected cases call the national Emergency Animal Disease Watch hotline on 1800 675 888 or report through the Notify Now smartphone app.

Find out more at www.outbreak.gov.au/current-responses-to-outbreaks/ehrlichiosis-dogs

Want to know more about improving your digital literacy and connectivity? Need confidence to access technology to improve your on-farm decision making?

CONNECTIVITY WEBINARS

Join extensionAUS and Agriculture Victoria for a series of webinars which will provide a unique opportunity for you to address on-farm connectivity issues and help you to understand available digital technology – how to measure it and how to make it work as best as possible for you and your business.

WEBINAR DATES AND TIMES

Webinar 3 – Internet of Things (IoT)

Tuesday 4 August, 1.30 – 2.30 pm

Register or join at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89327853496

Webinar 4 – Online networking to better communicate on-farm and service farm businesses

Tuesday 11 August, 1.30 – 2.30 pm

Register or join at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84433966881

Contact: If you need help registering please contact Gavin Beever, Cumbre Consultants on 0438 234 886 or gavin@cumbre.com.au

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AUDIT

An opportunity exists to participate in an on-farm digital technology audit conducted by phone by Agriculture Victoria, to understand the technology you already have available on-farm and how you can improve its efficiency.

Participants will be asked to identify what type of internet connectivity they have, where they have access to WiFi and how they use technology on their farm.

Participants will have time to prepare for the audit and will receive a property map and report of results.

REGISTRATION

To register for the audit please book a time at https://bit.ly/2VbBXBK

Contact: If you need help registering or would like more information please contact Andy Clark, Agriculture Victoria, on 0436 804 656 or andy.clark@agriculture.vic.gov.au

For more information about drought and dry seasonal conditions support call 136 186 or visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons

Preference will be given to participants from Central and East Gippsland, the GMID and the Millewa region of North-West Victoria.

Do you want to improve your leadership skills?

The Victorian Rural Women’s Network (the Network) offers funded places for eligible Victorian-based rural women on highly regarded leadership and mentoring programs.

Funded places are available to Victorian-based rural women who are connected to agriculture or the agriculture supply chain.

• The Observership Program (six funded places in 2021)
• Regional Leadership (four funded places in 2021)
• Leadership Victoria (four funded places in 2021).

More information about the program and the application process is available online at the Victorian Rural Women’s Network.

The Victorian Government is encouraging Victorians to have their say on reforms to allow vets and animal shelters to legally reunite lost pets with their owners.

Under Victoria’s existing laws, any lost cat or dog must be taken to a local council authorised officer.

Only vets or animal shelters holding a special agreement with their local council are currently allowed to contact the owner directly and reunite them with their pet.

These outlets are often not easily identifiable by the public.

Animal Welfare Victoria is looking at changes that would allow lost cats and dogs dropped off at veterinary clinics or registered animal shelters to be reunited with their owners sooner.

The proposed reforms aim to reduce stress on animals and their owners, and reduce regulatory, administrative and resource burdens on councils, vet clinics and registered animal shelters.

Community safety, privacy and the welfare of the animals will need to be carefully considered and protected.

Some of the problems associated with lost and roaming pets can include the animal’s welfare, the welfare of other animals and wildlife, nuisance, property damage and human safety.

Additionally, if ownership data linked to an animal’s microchip is not current, a vet may inadvertently contact and provide the pet to a previous owner.

This can compromise public safety through people on family violence orders attempting to locate others through pet microchip data or registration details.

An Issues Paper and survey questions for is now available online. Victorians are encouraged to have their say on the Reuniting Lost Pets review at: engage.vic.gov.au.

Victoria had approximately 663,000 dogs and 221,000 cats registered with its 79 councils in 2019.

Country Victorian communities will benefit from the creation of nearly 60 full time jobs over the next six months as part of the Agriculture Workforce Plan – supporting our farming community and keeping Victorians working.

Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes announced the further investment of over $3 million towards new jobs with Catchment Management Authorities (CMA) as well as the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning (DELWP).

The Corangamite, North Central and North East CMAs will join five others already benefitting from the program.

New team members will undertake a range of work, including improving local land health through revegetation and fencing of important environmental areas such as waterways, weed control, soil sampling and water quality monitoring on private and adjacent public land.

This work addresses concerns raised by many farmers by helping to control rabbits, wild dogs and other pests and weeds that affect soil health and crop productivity and kill livestock.

New projects with DELWP will target critical action on pests. Projects in Loddon Mallee and Grampians will support three teams to implement measures protecting public land and adjoining private land and farmland from invasive species such as weeds and rabbits.

Two additional teams will help manage wild dog populations and their impact on livestock, including activities like baiting and trapping.

The new wild dog controllers will be supported with training and supervision to ensure their health and safety while implementing best practice wild dog management.

To find out more about the $50 million Agriculture Workforce Plan visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/agworkforceplan

The Victorian Government is backing a new initiative to reduce the number of people injured and killed on farms.

Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes recently announced the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) will receive a $3 million Making our Farms Safer grant to employ two farm safety officers and deliver new resources.

Serving farmers across Victoria, the farm safety officers will provide information and advice on improving farm safety, via on-farm safety walks designed to help farmers identify risks and the changes they can make to improve the safety of their farms.

The VFF will also use the funds to develop an online platform with a range of farm safety resources for Victoria’s farmers that help them to adopt better farm safety and health practices.

On average there are around two serious injuries on Victorian farms every day and in the past five months six people have died while working on a farm.

Those at risk of injury or death on Victorian farms are not just farmers, but also farm families, employees, suppliers and contractors.

To address this, there is a need to change the culture and mindset of people in agriculture to prioritise safety.

The Government recognises that changing attitudes and improving the sector’s focus on safe farming practices needs to be driven by industry to be best suited for industry, with the VFF helping to lead this change.

Other initiatives the Government is implementing to change these attitudes include funding for Kidsafe Victoria and the National Centre for Farmer Health to run campaigns aimed at school students, and the establishment of the Farm Safety Council to advise on how to reduce farm injuries and deaths.

The Making our Farms Safer grant is part of the Victorian Government’s $20 million Victoria’s Smarter, Safer Farms program addressing skills and safety issues in the agriculture sector.

Applications for the 2021 Science and Planning Graduate Program are now open.

The development program is open to recent graduates with science-based qualifications including, environmental science, agricultural science, natural resource management and planning.

A unique learning  opportunity for graduates, the two-year training program allows for rotating placements across regional and metro Victoria. Mixing field and policy work, research and community engagement, the program has supported more than 250 participants over the last 20 years.

Visit the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions website for more information: djpr.vic.gov.au/about-us/careers/employment-programs/science-graduate-program

The Biosecurity for Beekeepers online course is now free for all Australian beekeepers, increasing the accessibility of training which will help protect the honey bee industry from pests and diseases.

Trevor Weatherhead, Chair of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC), said the course was previously only free for commercial beekeepers who had 50 or more hives with others having to pay a small fee.

“AHBIC funding allows the course to be accessed at no cost to commercial beekeepers and now Australian state and territory governments have contributed to make the course free to all beekeepers,” said Trevor.

“This is a great step towards improving bee biosecurity standards across Australia which will help ensure the industry’s sustainability into the future.”

Plant Health Australia (PHA) CEO Sarah Corcoran said the course has also been refreshed to ensure it remains current and relevant.

“The course was updated by the PHA training team with advice and input from AHBIC, state bee biosecurity officers and other industry representatives,” said Sarah.

The course, which takes about 90 minutes to complete, covers:

• checking your hives for pests and diseases
• identifying exotic and established pests and diseases of honey bees
• taking action after finding a serious pest or disease in your hives
• minimising the impact of pests and diseases on your hives.

On successful completion of the course you receive a certificate which demonstrates compliance with the Australian Honey Bee Biosecurity Code of Practice.

Completing an approved pest and disease management course is a requirement of the Code for all beekeepers with 50 or more hives and this course is one way to meet that requirement.

Beekeepers can also speak to their local Bee Biosecurity Officer about alternative options.

The Biosecurity for Beekeepers course is delivered by PHA through funding from state and territory governments and AHBIC.

The original development of the course was funded by AgriFutures Australia.

For information on how to register for the course at  beeaware.org.au/training/

Please direct enquires to media@phau.com.au

Designated fox and wild dog bounty collection centres are now operating in line with physical distancing requirements including established drop off and exclusion zones.

During the suspension period, bounty participants were encouraged to continue to collect fox scalps and wild dog body parts on private properties as part of pest control activities, and to freeze or air dry them.

Hunters are encouraged to refresh their knowledge of the terms and conditions of the bounty to ensure what they submit is acceptable.

Participants can submit entire fox scalps for a $10 reward and entire wild dog body parts for a $120 reward during scheduled collection times.

Ballarat collections (fox only) 25 Vickers St, Sebastopol

Time: 1 – 3 pm

Dates

• Monday, 24 August
• Monday, 21 September
• Monday, 19 October.

Horsham collections (fox only) 180 Horsham-Noradjuha Rd, Vectis

Time: 1.30 – 3.30 pm

Dates

• Wednesday, 5 August
• Wednesday, 2 September
• Wednesday, 30 September
• Wednesday, 28 October

For more information visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/bounty

The bounty collection schedule is subject to change. Please check the Agriculture Victoria website for the latest information.

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.

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

Agriculture Victoria’s beef and sheep networks’ winter/spring webinar series is on again with expert presenters helping farmers answer all the challenging questions to get them through the next few months.

Webinar 1: Animal health and nutrition (13 August, 12.30 - 1.30pm)

Learn more about animal nutrition, trace mineral deficiencies, winter/early spring feed budgeting and livestock health issues to watch out for. Presented by Dr Jeff Cave, District Veterinary Officer and Nick Linden, Sheep Industry Development Officer.

Register at - www.eventbrite.com.au/e/113841172010

Webinar 2: Fodder conservation (3 September, 12.30 - 1.30pm)

This webinar will explore questions such as how much is conserving fodder really costing me? How much of my farm should I cut and how can I produce high quality hay and silage this spring? Presented by Michele Jolliffe, Dairy Extension Officer and Claire Waterman Farm Business Economist.

Register at - www.eventbrite.com.au/e/113841535096

Webinar 3: Spring pasture (17 September 12.30 - 1.30pm)

Discussion will focus on what nutrients need to be replaced after fodder conservation, the importance of tillering and key grazing management practices for a successful spring. Presented by Fiona Baker, Beef Extension Officer.

Register at - www.eventbrite.com.au/e/113841709618

For further information or if you have trouble registering contact Tess McDougall 0409 841 492 or tess.mcdougall@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Agriculture Victoria and the Glenelg Hopkins CMA invite you to participate in an online whole farm planning course to be run between August and September this year.

Please note first preference will be given to farmers from the Casterton and Coleraine districts of South-West Victoria.

DATES: To be confirmed

DAY: Tuesday and Thursday for six weeks

TIME: 8.30 – 10.30 am

VENUE: Online via Zoom

CONTACT: Tess McDougall on 0409 841 492 or  tess.mcdougall@agriculture.vic.gov.au

RSVP: By email with contact details before Monday 3 August

COST: The course is fully sponsored by the Glenelg Hopkins CMA.

Steep hills and slopes provide a challenge to farmers in terms of access, rehabilitation, productivity and managing livestock access, particularly in wet seasons.

Agriculture Victoria invites you to join our panel of aerial land management specialists in a webinar to discuss the big issues in aerial agriculture, including how to rehabilitate, manage and improve productivity on steep hill country.

Presenters include agronomist Graham Martin, helicopter pilot Hugh Acton-Adams, drone operator Garth Short and beef producer Rob Bulle.

DATE AND TIME

Wednesday 12 August, 7 – 8 pm

REGISTRATION

Register online at: https://aerial_agriculture.eventbrite.com.au

Details for joining the session (online or phone) will be provided via email after registering.

A recording of this event will be available afterwards.

For further information, contact Greg Ferrier, Agriculture Victoria on 0438 738 634 or greg.ferrier@agriculture.vic.gov.au

The Rural Press Club of Victoria has extended the entry deadline for its 2020 Rural and Regional Journalism and Photography Awards, until next Friday 7 August.

This year has been challenging for regional journalists and photographers, with many publications reducing or stopping coverage.

To reflect the challenges this year has brought, RPCV award category winners will receive $500 and a trophy, while winners of the overall awards including Journalist of the Year, Photographer of the Year and Young Journalist of the Year will each receive $1,000 and a trophy.

The awards are open to all journalists, photographers and media outlets in Victoria and Tasmania. Journalists and photographers can enter the awards until 31 July.

To enter the awards, you need to be a member of the Rural Press Club of Victoria.

You can sign up for membership and enter the awards on the club’s new website ruralpressclubvictoria.com.au

The much anticipated Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) and BioCollect training will now be delivered via a series of free webinars.

When:  Second week of August to third week of September 2020

Format: Four on-line webinars. There will be several options to attend all modules.

Facilitators: Peter Brenton and Matilda Stevenson from the CSIRO.

The training is being provided in an interactive train-the-trainer format and is not being offered to everyone in the first instance.

The expectation is for people trained in these sessions to deliver training and user support within their local communities.

Selection Criteria

Preference will be given according to the following criteria:

a) Occupy a volunteer or professional role which would enable them to deliver training to community members

b) Have the capacity to deliver training and provide support to community members within areas of Victoria affected by serrated tussock or gorse

c) Have at least a basic to moderate experience in computers and web-based applications.

Course Outline

Module Duration Date and time

1 – Preparation and Overview  2 hr 00 min TBA
2 – Creating Projects and Surveys 2 hr 45 min TBA
3 – Sites, Data and Membership 2 hr 45 min TBA
4 – Everything else 2 hr 45 min TBA.

Application Form

If you would like to take part please follow the link to complete the application https://forms.gle/oCvHQC5e6SZuxfPCA

Further Opportunities

Once the initial train-the-trainer course is complete, participants can apply for a $500 grant to assist in delivering an on-ground training workshop in their community.

About Atlas of Living Australia and BioCollect

The Atlas of Living Australia is Australia’s national biodiversity database and  is the largest mapping database of invasive species in Australia.

BioCollect is a field data collection tool in which users can freely set up and collect data for their own projects, as well as enabling data to be easily copied into the ALA and be made accessible to others who need to use it.

This project is coordinated by the Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party (VSTWP) with support from the Victorian Gorse Taskforce (VGT).

The Grassland Society of Southern Australia is running its 61st Annual Conference - Growing with grasslands.

DATE: 22 July – 19 August

TIME: 7.30 – 9.30 pm AEST

We invite you to join us for the 61st Annual Conference - and our first ever virtual conference!

It will take place online via Zoom from 7.30 – 9.30 pm AEST every Wednesday evening for five weeks.

Find out more at www.grasslands.org.au

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