• Coronavirus (COVID-19) update
• New regional jobs to support agriculture
• Building farm resilience for challenging times
• Using rotation to grow more feed
• Grazing management to make the most of the winter
• Monitor your farm business performance
• Low survival for iodine deficient lambs
• Weeds and rabbits project survey
• Soil moisture information at your fingertips
• Agroforestry survey – have your say
• The Fast Break – Victoria
• Livestock Biosecurity Funds Grant Program
• PhD research fellowships now on offer
• Young farmer scholarships – applications open until 14 June
• Primary producers bushfire support programs
• Drought and dry seasons support services and information
• Upcoming webinars

The Victorian Government is gradually easing restrictions currently in place to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

As restrictions are being are eased, the Victorian Government continues to recognise the critical importance of the agriculture and food sector and will ensure our farms and agribusinesses keep operating to keep the supermarket shelves stocked and food on Victorians’ tables.

In all activities, farmers are asked to be considered. Be cautious. Use your common sense. And if you don’t have to do it – don’t.

Stay safe by maintaining good hygiene, keeping your distance from others and if you feel unwell stay home.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus you should get tested.

The situation continues to change rapidly and we urge you to regularly check the Department of Health and Human Services website for the latest update: coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

More information is also available on the Agriculture Victoria website.

Contacting us

We’re continuing to serve the community but you may need to contact us in different ways.

If you can do something online then this is the best way. You can also call us 136 186 for a range of information including how best to contact us.

Agriculture Victoria office receptions across the state are now closed in order to reduce face-to-face contact between staff and members of the community. The decision is in response to the latest advice to help prevent the further spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Please consider whether the activity you are contacting us about is necessary at this time. Visit the Department of Health and Humans Services website for the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) advice.

Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Jaclyn Symes recently announced funding from the Agriculture Workforce Plan will be put towards job creation projects for five Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) across Victoria and create more than 80 full-time equivalent jobs benefitting the agriculture industry.

These new jobs will be focused on projects that provide benefits to Victorian farmers and the wider agricultural industry – a focus that is particularly important given the impacts of recent bushfires and seasonal conditions.

Funded projects include fruit fly control measures in the Goulburn Broken CMA which will target the removal of wild fruit trees from public land and supporting bushfire recovery work in Bunyip and other parts of the Port Phillip Westernport catchment.

Port Philip Westernport will also commence an innovative new program focused on agricultural education in schools involving excursions to farms and school incursions to put farmers and producers in front of students to talk about the agricultural industry and food.

In the Mallee CMA, a project will be delivered to aid weed and pest animal control, while Wimmera and Glenelg Hopkins will help agricultural landholders with land management measures such as re-vegetation and weed control.

The majority of the jobs are regionally based and will provide employment over a six-month period. Successful applicants will be matched with positions through Working for Victoria, the Government’s initiative to help jobseekers find work and employers find workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The $50 million Agriculture Workforce Plan is supporting businesses in regional, rural and outer metropolitan areas within key agriculture and food processing industries through job-matching, case management, worker relocation needs, transport and training.

To register interest in the program or other job initiatives, visit vic.gov.au/workingforvictoria.

Farm businesses are being supported to build their resilience against economic challenges through a range of tools and webinars being offered by the Victorian Government.

Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes encouraged Victorian farmers to sign up for the webinar series and seek relevant support to ensure their business continuity in the face of challenges.

The series will help participants identify how to safeguard their core business operations when unexpected situations occur.

Although Victorian farmers are no stranger to disruption and volatility – having faced bushfires, floods, drought and dry seasonal conditions – the webinars are particularly timely as many businesses cope with the impact of coronavirus.

They will provide practical measures for farmers to identify how to measure their capacity to continue operating and to recover from any significant challenge through a framework that withstands disruptions, applying examples of continuity principles and sharing expert advice.

The webinars complement the government’s ongoing drought support, which includes the recently expanded On-Farm Drought Resilience Grant allowing farmers to apply for up to $5000 for business planning and up to $5000 for infrastructure investment.

There are also new activities eligible for investment under the grant, including technologies to improve mobile phone connectivity, soil moisture probes and weed control.

The Victorian Government is delivering this support as it understands the critical importance of our agricultural and food sector, which relies on the continued operations of our farms and agribusinesses to keep the supermarket shelves stocked and food on Victorians’ tables.

The Farm Business Resilience webinars are free, however, businesses need to register to attend or to receive a link to the recorded event.

Understanding the principles behind grazing rotations that deliver more feed is the focus of a new online presentation from Agriculture Victoria.

The Autumn Grazing Management presentation demonstrates how stock can undermine the persistence of plants leading to slower growing, thin pastures and weeds or undesirable species filling the gaps.

“This is where grazing management is really important,” Agriculture Victoria grazing expert Fiona Baker said.

In the presentation, Ms Baker highlights the principles used to determine grazing rotations and the science behind using a rotation to grow more feed.

She outlines the key changes that occur within the plant when rotationally grazing, which lead to healthy and vigorous plants, and in turn, to higher quantities of dry matter per hectare being available.

The webinar recording also discusses setting up a rotation; grass characteristics; knowing how much feed is available on offer; when to remove stock; and the importance of rest periods.

The Autumn Grazing Management presentation is one of three from a recent Agriculture Victoria webinar series, funded from the Victorian Government’s 2019–20 drought support package, which can be accessed below:

• Autumn feed budgeting, with Veterinary Officer Dr Cathy Bunter, recorded 6 May – https://youtu.be/ku83_M8syT8
• Autumn Grazing Management, with Livestock Extension Officer Fiona Baker, recorded 13 May – https://bit.ly/3eIss42

The third and most recent presentation in the series – Planning and designing a 5-star water supply – was presented by Agriculture Victoria farm water specialist Clem Sturmfels.

In the presentation Mr Sturmfels addresses water quality and quantity, climate impacts, water planning and design and encourages farmers to consider all available supply options before committing to a major investment such as a bore, larger dam or reticulated water supply.

Mr Sturmfels, whose background is in soil conservation, whole farm planning and on-farm water reticulation systems, provides advice on calculating the water needs of a grazing enterprise, while also considering strategies for a dry season or drought.

The webinar also provides information about planning, designing, mapping and implementing a water supply system;the recording can be found here https://bit.ly/3dnmCF6

Enquiries about any of the webinars can be directed to Tess McDougall on tess.mcdougall@agriculture.vic.gov.au or 0409 841 492.

by Sarah Clack, Agriculture Victoria Dairy Extension Officer

There has been a good start to the season in many areas of Victoria.

To make the most of it grazing management of pastures can be used to maximise pasture growth and utilisation helping us to get the most out of the resources invested.

The aim of good grazing management is to balance the requirements of the pasture and the herd.

Grazing ryegrass pastures between the two to three-leaf stage allows the pasture to reach maximum production.

When the tiller reaches the two-leaf stage it has restored its energy reserves used to regrow after the last grazing and the pasture is nutritionally balanced for the herd.

Allowing the tiller to reach the three-leaf stage before grazing is a bonus, as the third leaf is an extra 30–-40 per cent larger than second leaf.

If the pasture grows beyond the three-leaf stage, the first leaf begins to die losing quality and increasing wastage.

The grazing rotation length is determined by the leaf appearance rate. As the temperature declines and day length shortens going into winter, the leaf appearance rate slows.

This means the grazing rotation needs to be lengthened to allow the pasture to continue to reach the two to three-leaf stage target.

If our leaf appearance rate is 15 days, the rotation length would need to be 45 days to reach the three-leaf stage.

This would make the pasture area on offer per day 1/45th of the total milking area.

Leave a post-grazing residual of 4 to 6 cm between clumps.

This is where the tiller stores its energy or ’fuel’ to re-grow.

Grazing below 4 cm will reduce the energy reserves available for regrowth resulting in smaller tillers and less pasture available at the next grazing.

Grazing above 6 cm has no benefit to growth and increases pasture wastage.

Don’t allow stock to have access to the pasture for longer than two to three days as this will result in new shoots being grazed and a reduction in growth.

Increasing the rotation length decreases the area of pasture available and often the amount of pasture available, leading to lower post grazing residuals.

Supplements, for example. grain, silage and hay, are used to manage the residual height.

If post-grazing residuals are below 4 cm more supplements should be offered to the herd to increase the residual.

If residuals are above 6 cm less supplement should offered to the herd to minimise pasture and supplement wastage.

Remember, keep an eye on the leaf stage of the pasture you are offering to the herd and the post grazing residual as the cows leave the paddock each day to see if you are reaching your target leaf stage and post grazing residuals.

Lengthening or shortening the grazing rotation is about reaching the desired leaf stage, ideally two to three-leaf stage.

The post-grazing residual, a measure of feeding level including supplementary feeding, is used to maintain a residual height of 4 to 6 cm.

For information go to agriculture.vic.gov.au/home.

“I used the Livestock Farm Monitor individual farm report to go to the bank and help with extending a loan. It provided the bank with an independent report of my farm’s performance.”

That’s one of the many ways Victorian farmers have benefited from taking part in the Livestock Farm Monitor Project.

The LFMP estimates the economic performance of sheep and cattle farms by collecting detailed physical and financial farm information.
Agriculture Victoria is offering sheep and beef producers the opportunity to participate in the 2019–20 project.

Participation is free, and all information is treated as highly confidential.

Previous reports are available on the Agriculture Victoria website or contact Sam Henty for more sam.henty@agriculture.vic.gov.au

by Dr Jeff Cave, District Veterinary Officer

Goitre, due to iodine deficiency, leads to enlarged thyroid glands seen as swellings in the neck of affected lambs, which are born weak and die easily from the cold.

Particularly after a wet season I hear farmers in the hilly country east of the Hume Highway comment ‘some of my newborn lambs have an enormous lump under its throat’. Invariably this is relating to goitre.

If you consider the main source of iodine is from sea salt, which is leached from soils during heavy rainfall, it is not surprising that many of our soils in north eastern Victoria are deficient in iodine.
Cases of goitre typically occur after three consecutive months of 80 mm or more of rain.

Since a reasonably wet winter has been forecast following our effective autumn break, producers with flocks lambing from mid-winter onwards this year should be considering the prevention of goitre in their flocks.

Like other essential trace minerals, iodine is only required in small amounts.

The thyroid gland produces hormones, which are essential for life.

A lamb or kid with goitre will often be undersized or stillborn, have a reduced wool cover, and be weak and susceptible to cold stress.

Goitre in newborn calves is extremely rare. Property owners who have never seen goitre will often see it following a shift in their enterprise from producing cattle to sheep or goats.

An outbreak of goitre can be challenging to manage since any affected lambs or kids will have a low survival rate and the deficiency in the ewes or does needs to be corrected quickly before lambing or kidding occurs.

Iodine deficiency is easy to prevent, by providing iodised salt from the third month of the ewes’ pregnancy. This can be given in a variety of ways such as iodised salt blocks or potassium iodide drenches.

For further advice please contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer on 136 186, , or in NSW your Local Land Service.

The Weeds and Rabbits Project is seeking support from private and public land managers to help combat pests and weeds which cost Victoria more than $1 billion a year.

Landholders are being invited to take part in a statewide survey about how they manage weeds and rabbits on their property.

The results will provide a better understanding of the barriers people face with implementing weed and rabbit management practices.

Agriculture Victoria is the lead agency in the delivery of programs to combat established invasive species, which is underpinned by the Commonwealth Government-funded Weeds and Rabbits Project.

Complete the survey at weedsandrabbits.com/survey/

The survey closes Sunday 24 June.

The Victorian Government has announced improvements to the Soil Moisture Monitoring Program as it continues to support farm businesses impacted by drought and dry seasonal conditions.

The new set-up will mean easier and quicker access and the improved search function will allow farmers to distinguish between crop types being monitored, pasture and soil types and locations – all which influence soil moisture data.

Until now, the data had been only available via a monthly e-newsletter subscription or by using a verified login.

New tools featured on the platform will translate the data into real-time local information. These tools include a temperature gauge, current soil moisture profile and a one to three-month rainfall outlook for Victoria.

The improvements will also enable more farmers to see the daily ‘Speedo soil moisture graphs’, which are a real time soil moisture percentage measure. These graphs are an important tool for farmers experiencing increasingly variable climatic conditions, specifically rainfall to make timely decisions.

Farmers can subscribe to the Agriculture Victoria Soil Moisture Monitoring e-newsletter to get further information and analysis of data. The new Soil Moisture Monitoring program portal can be found at agriculture.vic.gov.au/soilmoisturemonitoring.

For more information on Drought and Dry Seasonal Conditions support and services visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call 136 186.

If you are a farmer, researchers from the University of Tasmania would like to hear from you!

Dr. Dugald Tinch and PhD Candidate Zara Marais are working on a project that aims to understand how farmers make decisions about planting trees on their farms.

They hope to find out which factors are most influential in these decisions: does tree species and arrangement make a difference, and what about cost? Which ecosystem services (e.g. shelter, erosion control) are most important to farmers when it comes to planting trees, and does that change depending on the size or the type of the farm?

The end goal is to gain a better understanding of farmer preferences and priorities, which will ultimately help to improve extension efforts in farm restoration and agroforestry.

You can contribute by filling out a 10 minute online survey, with a chance to win a $50 Bunnings voucher. If you have any questions about the survey, you can contact the researchers directly at zara.marais@utas.edu.au.

Welcome to the "Fast Break" climate e-newsletter.

Check the soil moisture, climate driver summary and climate predictions from May run models.

Agriculture Victoria is partnering with the Grains Research and Development Corporation to bring you monthly climate model outlooks for South Australia, Southern New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria.

As usual, if you have comments, questions or feedback address them to Dale Grey at the.break@agriculture.vic.gov.au

**VICTORIA - THE FAST BREAK**

The Livestock Biosecurity Funds Grant Program is now open for applications.

Apply now for support for projects or programs that prevent, monitor and control diseases in Victorian cattle, sheep, goat, swine or honey bee industries. More information at  agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestockbiosecurityfunds

In partnership with the University of Melbourne, Agriculture Victoria is offering 32 PhD research fellowships in the grains, dairy and horticulture industries.

The fellowships will be based across Victoria at the department’s world-renowned research centres. Successful candidates will be rewarded with a $33,000 per annum scholarship, access to state-of-the-art facilities and opportunities for professional development and overseas travel.

To find out more visit the Agriculture Victoria website https://go.vic.gov.au/wyePVD

The Upskill and Invest – Young Farmers Scholarship Program provides young farmers and/or young farm workers up to $5,000 towards training or study (Upskill), and up to $5,000 extra funding to invest on-farm or in professional development (Invest), to put new skills into practice.

The scholarship program is designed to be flexible and to fit with the different demands and ambitions of young farmers. It provides young farmers and those who work directly on farm with an opportunity to invest in themselves and their career.

Applications for this year’s round of scholarships close on Sunday, 14 June.

To find out more about the program and to apply for a scholarship, visit vic.gov.au/youngfarmers.

Victorian winemakers and wine grape growers affected by the recent summer bushfires now have access to expert support and technical advice to help them make decisions about their current vintage.

The program includes online technical workshops on recognising and addressing the effects of smoke exposure, evaluation of 2020 wines by expert sensory panels, support to produce test batches for evaluation and access to a benchmarking kit to help winemakers assess their own wines.

The program will also include winemaking trials to evaluate techniques for treating smoke-affected wines and research activities to better characterise the impacts of smoke on a range of locally important varieties.

The Wine Grape Testing Rebate Program, provides growers with up to $1200 for smoke-exposure testing. The rebate program remains open to eligible growers through Rural Finance.

For more information on support for the wine industry after the bushfires visit agriculture.vic.gov.au or call 136 186.

Producers in fire-affected regions can access up to three free one-on-one Back to Business sessions with a local farm management consultant to help put their business back on track.

All red-meat producers, including sheep, cattle and goat, who have been affected by the recent bushfires are eligible to apply.

The Back to Business program in Victoria is being coordinated by Agriculture Victoria. For more information or to register, contact:

• Lyndon Kubeil on 0418 532 085 or at lyndon.kubeil@agriculture.vic.gov.au
• Jo Cameron on 0419 832 704 or at jo.cameron@agriculture.vic.gov.au
• MLA at backtobusiness@mla.com.au

Online registration is also available here.

For more info visit mla.com.au/bushfire-recovery.

Grants of up to $10,000 are available to support small businesses (including primary producers) significantly affected by the 2019–20 bushfires to recover and rebuild resilient businesses.

Eligible activities include meeting standard business costs, seeking financial advice, adjusting the business to be viable in the changed local context following bushfire and improvements to make the business more resilient to future disasters.

The grants are available to eligible small businesses in the local government areas of East Gippsland, Towong and Alpine who have suffered a decline in revenue of 40 per cent or more in a relevant three-month period.

Businesses can apply for this grant in addition to other bushfire grants. For more information contact Rural Finance 1800 260 425 or www.ruralfinance.com.au.

Concessional loans of up to $500,000 are available to support small business, primary producers and non-profit organisations impacted by the Victorian bushfires that began on 21 November 2019.

The loans are for restoring and/or replacing damaged assets and/or to meet working capital expenses.

They are available for eligible wine grape growers in Ararat, Alpine, Ballarat, East Gippsland, Glenelg, Golden Plains, Greater Bendigo, Indigo, Mansfield, Moyne, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, Southern Grampians, Strathbogie, Towong, Wangaratta, Wellington and Wodonga.

For further information contact Rural Finance 1800 260 425 or www.ruralfinance.com.au.

Grants of up to $75,000 to assist primary producers directly affected by the 2019–2020 bushfire with recovery costs. Eligible activities include rebuilding or replacing damaged or destroyed on-farm infrastructure, including fencing and trellises.

Wine grape growers who are located in eligible fire affected local government areas and have had crops affected by smoke taint may be able to claim for costs associated with the salvage, harvest and disposal of the smoke taint affected crops. Where no fire has occurred on the property, evidence of smoke impact, such as smoke taint testing results are required.

Available in eligible fire affected local government areas across Victoria. In the areas of Ararat, Alpine, Ballarat, East Gippsland, Glenelg, Golden Plains, Greater Bendigo, Indigo, Mansfield, Moyne, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, Southern Grampians, Strathbogie, Towong, Wangaratta, Wellington and Wodonga, and the alpine areas of Falls Creek, Mount Buller, Mount Hotham and Mount Stirling.

For further information contact Rural Finance 1800 260 425 or www.ruralfinance.com.au.

The Victorian Government is waiving the $235 application fee for new domestic and stock bore construction licences (BCL) for landholders in eligible areas of Victoria.

This initiative will help landholders secure their domestic and stock water supply needs in areas experiencing drought and dry conditions.

Apply online at the Victorian Water Register waterregister.vic.gov.au/water-trading/my-water#Online_BCLs

The CWA of Victoria’s Drought Relief program has been provided a funding boost by the Victorian Government for the provision of household financial relief

The program can provide up to $3000 to eligible farming families, farm workers and farm dependent contractors to reimburse them for household expenses like school costs, utilities, food and medical bills.

For more about the program and other available drought support visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call 136 186.

For anyone seeking a copy of the application form or requiring assistance to complete the application, please contact Agriculture Victoria on 136 186 or email the CWA on drought@cwaofvic.org.au

The maximum value of the On-Farm Drought Resilience Grants has increased from $5,000 to $10,000 to boost farmers’ access to professional services whilst still enabling farmers to invest in drought preparedness infrastructure.

Eligible farm businesses can now apply for:

• up to $5000 for business decision making activities (with no-contribution required)
• up to $5000 for infrastructure investments (with at least 50 per cent co-contribution required).

There are three new eligible infrastructure investments under the resilience grants:

• technologies to improve mobile phone connectivity
• weed control (e.g. purchase of registered herbicide)
• soil moisture probes (as an explicit investment under soil moisture monitoring activities).

Farmers in drought-affected areas of East Gippsland and Wellington shires also impacted by the bushfires can reapply for the grant where previously funded investments through the On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Support Grants, Pasture Recovery and Management Grants or the On-Farm Drought Resilience Grants were destroyed or damaged.

For more information and to access the On-Farm Drought Resilience Grants program, call Rural Finance on 1800 260 425 or visit ruralfinance.com.au.

Farmers are encouraged to apply early to ensure they do not miss out on funding.

Bernard is dedicated to teaching farmers how to work with dung beetles. He has worked with CSIRO for 29 years, including seven years as OIC of the CSIRO Dung Beetle Research Unit in Pretoria, South Africa. Since 2003 he has been the lead researcher and director of Dung Beetle Solutions International (DBSI) where he is strongly involved in research and farmer education.

Read more: http://www.dungbeetlesolutions.com.au/

As a dung beetle ambassador, Bernard will discuss the benefits of the soil enriching and pest-control qualities of dung beetles and how they can improve pasture profitability and sustainability.

Preparing to join the webinar: Joining the webinar is easy!  We’re using Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) and the good news is you don’t need an account or software installation.It is a good idea to join the webinar early to make sure you can access the webinar – click here to join.

You will be prompted to download the MS Teams app or join via their browser. 

During the webinar: The webinar will start with a short introduction, followed by a presentation. Please use the chat function to ask questions.

After the session: The webinar will be recorded and available on the North Central CMA’s website after the session.

Worms have a major impact on the health, welfare and productivity of beef cattle herds and as they live in the internal organs, they can be difficult for farmers to see, diagnose and control.

The full impact of worm burdens is not always fully understood despite their negative effect on production and the economic benefits of worm control.

This free webinar will provide updates on the most recent advances in diagnostic methods and how these have made testing more accurate, faster and cheaper.

Producers can join the evening session via their phone and/or computer, tablet or smartphone, and will have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues with Mr Playford following his presentation.

The webinar is supported by Meat & Livestock Australia.

For further information or if you are unable to register online please contact Cathy Mulligan on 0438 341 970 or email: cathy.mulligan@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Agriculture Victoria is delivering a series of four webinars to improve farm business resilience, hosted by ORM managing consultant Matt McCarthy. Farmers and farm business managers should register for the webinars to identify how to safeguard their core business operations when unexpected situations occur.

Register for each of the webinars below to attend or receive a link of the recorded event.

Contact: Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) on 1800 023 100 or
info@mla.com.au

TOPICS:

• Climate driver overview and local rainfall
• Short term seasonal outlook and considerations for livestock producers
• Overview of the GRDC South Rainfall History and Climate Driver tool

PRESENTERS:

• Graeme Anderson, Climate Specialist
• Ethan Berry, Project Officer Climate risk
• Brad Costin, Land Management Extension Officer

REGISTRATIONS:

Registration is required by COB Wednesday 10 June, by contacting Ethan Berry on 0407 263 497 or at ethan.berry@agriculture.vic.gov.au

This activity is supported by North East CMA, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare program and Agriculture Victoria.

Contact: Alice Ritchie on 0429 386 781 or alice.ritchie@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Recorded live, Thursday 21 May, 2020

Title: Seasonal soil moisture probe network update

Summary: In this webinar, Dale Boyd provides a seasonal update of the cropping soil moisture conditions as measured by the Agriculture Victoria moisture probe network.

About the presenter: Dale Boyd is a seasonal risk agronomist in the grains team with Agriculture Victoria based out of Echuca. He has worked with the department for 20 years and during that time has worked on a range of projects linked to monitoring soil moisture, irrigated cropping, and the current seasonal risk work. This work is a state-wide technology adoption project that uses deep soil moisture probe and weather station networks.

You can watch a recording of the presentation here

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