• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Be ready for weeds this autumn
• Seasonal workforce welcomes Pacific power to the team
• Seasonal Workforce Accommodation Program available now
• Soil Moisture Monitoring – pastures
• April climate webinars
• Biosecurity risks at Victoria’s doorstep
• Five benefits of using eID
• Food or fibre challenge – Expressions of Interest close 16 April
• Farm safety creative competition for kids
• It's never you until it is – farm safety campaign
• Sheep Notes – autumn edition
• Recovery after fire: practical steps for farmers
• Fox and wild dog bounty – May collections for South East Victoria
• In case you missed it
• What's on – webinars, workshops and farm walks

Keep up to date with all the latest restrictions and requirements at coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

by David Shambrook, Dairy Extension Officer

A coolish summer with few hot days and some rain at times has enabled some pastures to remain green; it has also allowed any weeds that were not controlled last year to continue to grow and multiply.

The types of weeds that you may find in the pasture can be classified in three categories:

• Survivors – these begin to dominate in pasture where soil fertility is low or declining; for example, flatweed (catsear, dandelion), onion grass or bent grass. These can be controlled by improving fertility and grazing pressure.
• Competitors – they often respond to high soil fertility situations; for example, capeweed, erodium, dock, barley grass or thistles. These may be controlled by selective fertilising and intensive grazing at certain times using spray grazing or spray topping techniques.
• Opportunists – these love to colonise bare ground, so maintaining adequate cover with a vigorous perennial pasture will help to control these weeds. Weeds like sorrel, Paterson’s curse and some of the competitor species mentioned above can quickly take over a pasture without grazing some type of control.  Even the type of animal grazing the pasture can lead to more bare ground being made available for these weeds. 

The extent that some of these weeds may be present in the pasture will depend on whether there was any attempt to control them the previous year, if there has been some renovation carried out, or whether weed seeds were introduced in imported hay.

An ideal pasture composition for most livestock producers to aim for is around 20 to 30 per cent legume base with about 70 to 80 per cent desirable grass species.  This has been found to provide a good balance of protein and energy through most of the year for livestock production to be optimal. 

If you allow weeds to infiltrate your pastures, then this will begin to impact on your pasture productivity and livestock production. 

If weeds are becoming an issue on your farm, then they may cause the following problems to develop:

• livestock poisoning
• presence of plant parts that affect animal health, prevent grazing or reduce the value of animal products (for example, grass seeds that damage the skin or meat)
• lower digestibility of available feed
• occupying space and resources that could otherwise be used to grow more productive and desirable species
• rapid spread into neighbouring areas
• increased costs to control.

In permanent perennial pastures the best way to control weeds is initially through correcting soil fertility, improving grazing management, and possibly slashing and topping at appropriate times. However, autumn use of herbicides on broadleaf weeds can also be used to control weeds when they have gained a foothold in pasture-bare spots or campsite areas. 

The question is, what level of bare spots warrants monitoring for weeds as the autumn break rains arrive? If there were more than 10 to 15 bare spots, at 10 cm by 10 cm in size, in a square metre of ryegrass pasture, then oversowing may be required. If you have around 60 to 100 plants per square metre of pasture, you will not need to oversow. Gaps provide space where weed seeds may be scattered as well as any more desirable pasture species seed.

Soil temperatures above 14°C in the top 10 cm, combined with rain events creates an ideal climate for weed seeds and pasture seeds to germinate, particularly if there are bare spots. 

Caption: Winter barley paddock with weeds sprouting

Weeds like dock, plantain, Paterson’s curse and onion grass which can survive for more than one year will have reproduced as well and continue to be present in the pasture now. The question is, how much of the bare spots will be taken up by germinating weed seeds and will some sort of control be required?

Monitoring the bare spots in the pasture for the presence of weed seedlings as autumn progresses will be important in preparing for any possible control actions that may be needed.

Many weed seeds are large, so are quick to germinate, growing quite vigorously compared with the more desirable species like ryegrass and clover. This very soon results in the weeds shading out developing ryegrass or clover and competing for water and nutrients. Make sure you can accurately identify the difference between germinated weed seeds and those of more desirable pasture species like ryegrass and clovers. If the ratio of weed seedlings to the more desirable species in the bare spots is high, then spray herbicide control may be the option.

If the decision to spray with a broadleaf herbicide is made, and clover seedlings are present, then make sure they are at a size (3 to 4 trifoliate leaf stage) to not be severely impacted by spraying.  Check with your agronomist as to the best herbicide to use in this situation.

Information about registered agriculture chemicals and their permitted use is available from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) database, a federal government database.

You can use this database to find recommended chemicals registered for use, by searching for the weed or pest, and the host plant or animal.

Having chosen a chemical or broadleaf herbicide to control a particular weed or group of weeds, you then need to follow the label instructions on the safe use of this chemical.  As always, it can be all about timing and using the correct rates to achieve the best result. If the weeds are killed or are able to be slowed and then grazed-off using a spray-graze method (if that is one of the label recommendations), then the more desirable pasture species should be given more chance to be productive throughout winter and spring.

If you would like more information on identifying any problem weeds or advice on which herbicide maybe most effective you should work with your agronomist or local chemical reseller or ring Agriculture Victoria on 136 186.

Victorian farmers have received a welcome boost to their seasonal workforce with more than 200 Pacific workers starting on farms, thanks to a landmark agreement with the Tasmanian and Victorian Government.

Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas met with the workers as they started their first day on the job, picking and packing apples in the Yarra Valley.

The workers were among the first Pacific Islanders to fly in last month and undertake 14 days quarantine in Tasmania before arriving in Victoria over the weekend.

They have joined the workforce at Vernview Orchards at Launching Place – an apple orchard run by third and sixth-generation farmers Sue and David Finger.

Pacific workers have been part of the team at Vernview Orchards for more than eight years in a program that benefits both Victoria’s $15.9 billion agriculture industry and the economies of our Pacific Island neighbours.

Farmers and agriculture businesses have welcomed the restart of the Seasonal Worker Program and Pacific Labour Scheme.

The reintroduction of these programs is just one part of the Victorian Government’s comprehensive $76 million package to support the industry to find the workers it needs this season.

The government has co-contributed $7.8 million to quarantine costs for Pacific Island workers, with industry contributing $2,000 per worker.

Minister Thomas also announced a $150,000 grant to the Approved Employers of Australia (AEA), which connects permitted employers to the Pacific Mobility Schemes, supporting businesses to access these workers.

The grant is part of the government’s $1 million Seasonal Workforce Industry Support Program, which gives organisations dedicated resources to support local worker recruitment and retention in priority harvest regions.

Additional workers will join the agriculture workforce over the coming weeks as part of a planned, rolling flight schedule that will provide up to 1,500 workers. They will bolster the seasonal workforce across the state, from the Yarra Valley and Gippsland right across to Sunraysia.

Seasonal workers in the Sunraysia and the Goulburn Valley will have access to better accommodation and transport options, thanks to two new grants.

Recently  the Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas announced the latest recipients of the Seasonal Workforce Accommodation Program – Swan Hill Rural City Council and Fruit Growers Victoria.

Swan Hill Rural City Council will use the $500,000 grant to reform illegal and inappropriate accommodation and facilitate the development of new COVIDSafe accommodation.

Fruit Growers Victoria’s $365,000 grant will coordinate pastoral care, accommodation and transport support for up to 1,000 seasonal workers in the Goulburn Valley.

The $6 million Seasonal Workforce Accommodation Program is part of the Victorian Government’s $76 million program to support industry and farm employers as they adapt to meet the challenges bought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

The grants are helping regional organisations and communities deliver COVIDSafe accommodation, transport and support services for seasonal horticultural workers, which in turn helps employers attract and retain workers.

For more information about seasonal workforce support for jobseekers and employers, including financial incentives and assistance finding a harvest job or workers, visit: agriculture.vic.gov.au/bigharvest

Issue 6 – March 2021

For much of the pasture growing areas of the state it was an extraordinary spring and summer, in an extraordinary year.  For some sites, the challenge has been to use the bank of dry grass grown in spring before the 'true' autumn break.

Recent rain has topped up many soil profiles indicating a good autumn break.

In this newsletter we look at how and where the soil profiles have filled and how quickly they depleted if the break was early. Does this help in considering the autumn break or new sowing?

In this issue:

• A cooler wetter summer
• Autumn break?
• Central (Baynton)
• North East (Greta)
• Gippsland (Bairnsdale)
• West Gippsland (Giffard West)
• South West (Dartmoor)
• West Wimmera (Lawloit)
• South West (Pigeon Ponds/Harrow)
• Feature: Sowing new pasture?

To learn more SUBCRIBE HERE to our newsletter.

Compiled by Agriculture Victoria seasonal risk agronomist Dale Boyd , knowledge broker (sheep) Jane Court and livestock extension officer Raquel Waller.

The climate team are running a series of climate webinars next week.

These webinars, with seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey, will focus on the current seasonal climate outlook.

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

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

Tasmanian outlook

Date and time: Thursday 15 April at 10 am 
Event number: 165 922 5101
Event password: Tasoutlook

Register here

Victorian outlook

Date and time: Thursday 15 April at 12 pm 
Event number: 165 289 9402
Event password: Vicoutlook

Register here

South Australia outlook

Date and time: Friday 16 April at 9.30 am ACST
Event number: 165 670 7835
Event password: SAoutlook

Register here

Southern New South Wales outlook

Date and time: Friday 16 April at 12 pm
Event number: 165 067 9909
Event password: NSWoutlook

Register here

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

Recent detections of African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease virus fragments in pork products seized at the border highlights the real and continuous threat of exotic diseases and pests to Victoria.

Foot-and-mouth disease is Australia’s biggest agricultural biosecurity threat, affecting all clovenhoofed animals. African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease of pigs which can lead to mortality rates of up to 100 per cent in affected herds.

Neither disease affects humans, but an outbreak could have serious economic and animal health impacts, including the loss of important export markets.

No outbreaks of African swine fever have ever been recorded in Australia, and foot-and-mouth disease hasn’t been detected in Australia since the 1800s. Agriculture Victoria is working closely with industry to prepare for these threats.

The Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment led two collection periods over busy periods between Christmas and Chinese New Year from International mail centres at Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

Over the periods, some pork samples tested positive for fragments of African swine fever or foot-and-mouth disease virus. This builds on similar test results released in 2019.

Acting Chief Veterinary Officer for Victoria Dr Sally Salmon said the recent detections by the Commonwealth highlighted how easily diseases and pests could enter Australia and urged all Victorians to be aware of biosecurity risks.

“Whether it’s in someone’s luggage or in the mail, bringing in food, especially meat products, can also bring in diseases like African swine fever or even foot-and-mouth disease, which could devastate Australia’s agricultural industries and the broader economy for many years,” Dr Salmon said.

“It’s not enough to rely on quarantine inspections to stop potential pests and disease threats at our borders. When buying food and other goods online, always consider where they are coming from and whether they will meet biosecurity requirements before ordering them.”

“Biosecurity is everyone’s role and requires responsible actions by everyone. We all need to help protect our agriculture, our economy and our unique natural environment.”

Dr Salmon said the detection was also a timely reminder to all pig owners not to feed waste foods (swill) to pigs.

“Swill feeding or feeding ‘people food’ to pigs is prohibited in Australia. It is illegal to feed food waste containing meat, meat products and any food that was served on the same plate or that has come into contact with meat, as well as imported dairy products, to pigs,” she said.

“Swill feeding is prohibited in Australia because of its potential to introduce serious animal diseases like African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease. These recent findings clearly emphasise why that prohibition is so necessary.”

For more information about emergency animal diseases, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au

The value eID can bring to individual sheep businesses varies, but broadly includes these five benefits:

1. Measure the response to management
eID makes it possible to make a change and measure the difference – such as matching condition score at joining to pregnancy scanning result.

2. Manage individuals while also managing the mob
Use eID to monitor individual animals while running them in large mobs.

The technology allows mobs of sheep to be boxed together for periods of time before drafting them back into their relevant classes, reducing labour requirements and streamlining grazing efficiency while retaining the ability to monitor individual animals.

3. Increase labour flexibility
Reliably condition scoring individual animals requires training – if key staff members are busy or leave, it’s not always possible to have a trained individual to complete these assessments.

However, when eID equipment is set up, relatively untrained staff can collect weights – information which can be used to assess an animal’s status.

4. Select animals to retain
Use eID to collect data on individual animals to aid decisions such as which sheep to retain in the flock based on their performance.

To do this effectively the data collection process must start as early as possible, from lamb marking.

5. Enhance traceability
The ability to track animals as they move through the value chain is an important feature of eID, but it’s not only useful for industry to prepare for biosecurity breaches.

Consumers increasingly expect to be able to trace their food and fibre to its source and are willing to pay more for products they trust.

Republished from MLA Friday Feedback newsletter.

The 'What’s your food or fibre challenge, Gippsland?' program aims to contribute to the growth, prosperity and sustainability of the region, sparking innovation that not only benefits our communities and businesses, but leads the way for the food and fibre industry nationally and globally.

The program provides resources to support a challenge that a food or fibre producer, distributor, retailer, or supplier to the sector may be facing that will enable solutions or opportunities to grow their business or productivity.

About the program
Entrants are invited to tell us about their challenge and create a compelling pitch to enter the program. Challenges must be related to one of the following categories or, if listed as ‘Other’, must be accompanied by an explanation:

• New product/service development
• Existing product/service improvement or enhancement
• Talent attraction or cultivation
• Business model, business digitisation improvement
• Market research intelligence/feasibility concept study
• Addressing sustainability/environmental outcomes
• Other.

Up to 10 finalists will be selected and each project will receive comprehensive innovation support and collaboration from experts and leaders in business, science and the food and fibre industry.

More Information
Visit our website for application details and more information - www.foodandfibregippsland.com.au/whats-your-challenge

Comprehensive information on how to apply will be provided at the Challenge Bootcamp to be held on 20 April at the Morwell Innovation Centre.

Entrants are strongly recommended to attend the bootcamp.

What’s your food or fibre challenge, Gippsland? is funded by the Gippsland Regional Partnership and developed by Federation University Australia and Food & Fibre Gippsland, with partnership, support and collaboration provided by Regional Development Victoria, Food Agility CRC, Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL), Latrobe Valley Authority, TAFE Gippsland, and Committee for Gippsland.

Think Farm Safe, Be Farm Safe.

Support the primary schoolers in your life to create something amazing for the KidSafe Victoria creative competition. 

The competition is part of Agriculture Victoria’s Smarter, Safer Farms commitment to improve safety and skills outcomes for Victorian farmers and their families.

Enter on the KidSafe Victoria website.

More people die on farms than in other workplaces – let’s change that.

As a farmer, you might think you’re bulletproof and an accident won’t happen to you. You know your land like the back of your hand.

You know your tools, your machinery, your vehicles. But accidents can happen to anyone.

Every death and injury on any farm is preventable.

Find safety support for your farm here. 

You can prevent accidents. You can prevent deaths.

Sheep Notes informs sheep producers about general sheep health and welfare, production, market protection and biosecurity issues.

It also provides details about specific department and industry programs to guide improvement in the productivity, profitability and sustainability of sheep enterprises.

Subscribe to the Sheep Notes newsletter on the Agriculture Victoria website.

In this issue:

• Staggers
• LiveFeed - seasonal webinar
• Underperforming animals in a paddock full of feed
• Assess feed and animal requirements
• Online learning - stock containment; irrigation, soil
• Digital tips
• Resistance to insecticides in blowflies
• Farmer tips on autumn saving
• High performance maidens, grazing weeds
• Livestock Farm Monitor Project results
• Free benchmarking and profit assessment
• NEXUS
• Did you know?
• Do you mules your lambs?

If you are attending a collection centre, you must comply with COVIDSafe requirements including physical distancing, good hygiene practices and wearing a face mask indoors and where you can’t distance outdoors.

Electronic funds transfer (EFT) is the preferred method of payment so please bring your EFT details to the collection centre.

Acceptable entire fox scalps and entire wild dog body parts will be collected from eligible members of the public at specific dates and times, and from sites scheduled as collection centres.

Please note that no entire-fox scalps or entire wild dog body parts will be accepted at any public counter or state government office. Collections will only be accepted at the designated times.

More information on the fox and wild dog bounty here or call the Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

South East Victoria collections commenced in March, with more collections scheduled for May, July, September and October.

South East Victoria collection dates for May are as follows:

Ellinbank collections

Collection type: fox and wild dog
When: Monday 17 May, 2 – 4 pm
Where: Depot, 1301 Hazeldean Rd, Ellinbank

Bairnsdale collections

Collection type: fox and wild dog
When: Tuesday 18 May, 12 – 2 pm
Where: 35 Bairnsdale–Dargo Road, Bairnsdale

Maffra collections

Collection type: fox and wild dog
When: Wednesday 19 May, 9 – 11 am
Where: Depot, 1 Stratford Rd, Maffra

Yarram collections

Collection type: fox only
When: Wednesday 19 May, 2 – 4 pm
Where: Rodgers St, Yarram

Woori Yallock collections

Collection type: fox only
When: Thursday 20 May, 12 – 2 pm
Where: Depot, Symes Rd, Woori Yallock.

Full details are available on the Agriculture Victoria website.

New glasshouse helping to safeguard future crops

The Victorian Government is backing a new state-of-the-art plant quarantine facility to accelerate the delivery of new and improved crop varieties to Australian farmers.

READ THE FULL MEDIA RELEASE HERE

Helping pets find a loving home

The Victorian Government is ensuring more pets get the loving homes they deserve with a new taskforce dedicated to rehoming animals.

Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas was at Lort Smith Animal Hospital recently to announce the Taskforce on Rehoming Pets.

READ THE FULL MEDIA RELEASE HERE

Details about Agriculture Victoria events can be found in one spot on our website. Log on to the Events page to keep in touch with upcoming events.

TopSoils Paddock Walk – Butchers Ridge
Paddock walk to discuss results of recent soil testing under the TopSoils program.

DATE: Wednesday 14 April

TIME: 10 am to 12 pm

CONTACT: Janice Dowe on 0437 282 315

TopSoils Native Pastures Demonstration Site – Paddock Walk – Ensay South
Paddock walk to discuss demonstration site results.

DATE: Thursday 15 April

TIME: 11 am to 1.30 pm

CONTACT: Janice Dowe on 0437 282 315

TopSoils Demonstration Site – Paddock Walk – Swan Reach

Paddock walk to discuss demonstration site results into improving pasture quality.

DATE: Wednesday 28 April

TIME: 9.30 to 11.30 am

CONTACT: Janice Dowe on 0437 282 315

The ‘Ask the Researcher’ forums are an interactive monthly event where farmers and service providers come together with the scientists that are leading the transformational research at DairyBio and DairyFeedbase to ask questions and hear about on-farm applications and the future direction of the programs

Join GippsDairy REO Donna Gibson and Agriculture Victoria senior research scientist Dr Liz Morse-McNabb to hear more and ask questions about the future of pasture utilisation ‘PastureSmarts’.

DATE: Monday 21 April

TIME: 12.30 pm

REGISTER HERE

DATE: Friday 30 April

TIME: 10 – 11 am

Agriculture Victoria is delivering interactive online training sessions for livestock producers using the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database. There are four events for you to choose from, between March and June.

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

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

Numbers are limited to allow for an interactive session, so be quick to secure a spot!

REGISTER HERE

Three online courses are providing Victorian farmers with key information to help them better prepare and respond when dry seasonal conditions and other emergencies occur.

The web-based courses take approximately 30 minutes to complete and have been developed to assist farm business to prepare for key challenges they may face during difficult times.

The courses cover three focus areas – Stock containment areas (SCAs), irrigation management and soils and groundcover – which will be relevant to the grains, animal and irrigation industries across the state.

Each course includes interactive activities, links to key information and practical examples to help farmers learn.

The new online learning modules complement existing information about managing resources in drought and bushfire recovery on the Agriculture Victoria website, including the recently updated ‘Recovery After Fire – practical steps for farmers’ booklet.

Access the Learning Management System online or the individual courses at:

• Managing soils and groundcover 
• Stock containment areas 
• Irrigation decision support tool 

For more information about dry seasonal conditions support or bushfire recovery call 136 186 or visit the Agriculture Victoria website at agriculture.vic.gov.au

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