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Barwon South-West Ag news
 
Thursday 28 November 2019
In this edition
Investing in the next generation of Victorian farmers

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.

New genomic research to future-proof pasture grasses

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, University of Melbourne and CSIRO.

Strong traceability for our valuable sheep industry

Victoria’s transition to electronic identification for sheep and goats is now almost complete, with the Victorian Government supporting the change to make the state’s livestock industry more innovative and efficient.

The Horsham saleyards is celebrating 20 years of operation and, as the fourth largest lamb market in Victoria processing 600,000 sheep each year, is a leader in applying the new technology and creating its own efficiencies through the new system.

The Victorian Government provided $380,000 to Horsham Rural City Council to introduce the hardware and software needed for the saleyards to make the transition to electronic identification.

Victoria began its transition to mandatory electronic identification for sheep and goats on 1 January 2017. Changes across the supply chain from on-farm tagging to scanning and data processing at saleyards and abattoirs have made huge advances in efficiency and data integrity.

The reform has improved Victoria’s ability to trace sheep and goats, ensuring the ongoing prosperity of Victoria’s livestock industries through consumer confidence and access to export markets.

In 2017–18, Victoria exported $1.4 billion of sheep meat and $2.1 billion of wool, demonstrating the enormous role our sheep industry has to play in many regional and rural Victorian communities.

For more information on electronic identification, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/sheepEID

Boost your business: Food Innovation Voucher Stream
Food Innovation Voucher Stream

The Food Innovation Voucher Stream is a new initiative of the Victorian Government that helps companies access the know-how needed to innovate, diversify, improve productivity and take new and innovative products to market.

The vouchers and associated Food Innovation Network will deliver on the Victorian Food and Fibre Sector strategy.

Round 4 of Boost Your Business closes Sunday 22 December.

Potential assistance

  • Up to $10,000 for early stage feasibility and testing
  • Up to $50,000 for process innovation, product development and research and development.

Eligibility - Applicant businesses must be a small to medium enterprise with an operating presence in Victoria and be registered as members of the Food Innovation Network.

For more information please click

Funds available for women in hort

Hort Innovation and Women and Leadership Australia (WLA) have continued their initiative to jointly fund grants for women in horticulture to bring about gender equity within Australia’s horticulture industry.

Three years into the project, 28 women have graduated or are still participating in the courses that are available.

All women currently employed by levy-paying businesses within the Australian horticulture sector are invited to apply for a limited pool of funding that has been provisioned for participation in a range of leadership courses.

The grants are allocated with the specific intent of providing powerful and effective development opportunities for women who own or work for horticultural levy-paying businesses.

The fee support opportunity provides a scholarship of up to $10,941 for women to take part in one of three part-time practical courses.

Participants will network with women peers from a variety of industries, and cover such topics as reinforcing resilience and wellbeing, rewiring your networks, evolving strategic change, team dynamics, and supporting leadership performance.

The funding is available both to individuals and groups of employees within all levy-paying horticultural organisations across Australia.

All of WLA’s courses are part-time, designed for those already employed and are delivered via a ‘blended’ teaching model – partly online, partly face-to-face.

The face-to-face components are held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. All three courses commence several times each year in all four capital cities.

Expressions of Interest are being sourced until 29 November via this link: www.wla.edu.au/horticulture.

Expressions of interest are considered on a rolling basis and scholarship funding is strictly limited. Those interested are advised to register promptly.

The On-farm Drought Resilience Grant Program
On-farm drought resilience grant program

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 Goulburn Murray Irrigation District. Eligible irrigation farm businesses, including those that have transitioned from irrigation production systems to dryland production since 1 July 2018, located in the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District (GMID).

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.

Look Over the Farm Gate grants

Farmers and communities facing drought and dry conditions across northern and north west Victoria should apply now for funding under the Look Over the Farm Gate Program.

Look Over the Farm Gate events are an opportunity for farmers to take a break from the farm, reconnect with their community, access professional support and participate in mental health training.

You know what your community needs, so we encourage community groups to think creatively about what single event or series of events would be most effective.

It could be anything from a barbeque and comedy night, regular fitness meet-ups in the park, or a family movie night.

Look Over the Farm Gate is a mental health and wellbeing initiative funded by the Victorian Government and managed by the Victorian Farmers Federation in partnership with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Country Women’s Association, Country Fire Authority, and National Centre for Farmer Health.

Applications are still being accepted for events and are assessed on a first in best dressed basis.

For more information about eligibility and how to apply, visit the website at lookoverthefarmgate.org.au

Happy sad man
What's on?

Agriculture Victoria will cancel workshops on Code Red fire danger days

Predator management webinar/phone seminar
Predator management webinar/phone seminar

Join farm predator specialist Greg Mifsud for a webinar/phone seminar on Thursday, 5 December, to learn about improved management tools and techniques and the benefits of farm predator management on sheep and cattle properties on Thursday, 5 December from 7.30 to 8.30 pm.

Speaker - Greg Mifsud, National Wild Dog Management Coordinator - Centre for Invasive Species Solutions.

Greg has extensive experience working with farmers and communities on collaborative approaches to the management of predators and dealing with the impact on business’ and community wellbeing.

Topics 

  • Overview of fox and wild dog ecology
  • Impact of predators on lambing percentages and farm business
  • Applying best practice fox and wild dog baiting techniques on-farm
  • Using Canid Pest Ejectors - the ‘new control tools on the block’
  • Working dog safety and baiting
  • Using Pestsmart and Feral Scan applications for the management of vertebrate pest species.

Please register via redback connect by clicking the following link
http://bit.ly/2r0SL1Z

For more information, or if you have trouble registering, please phone Jo Cameron on (03) 5355 0523.

Grain storage webinars

A series of free-of-charge grain storage webinars from GRDC has provided growers with convenient, timely and relevant information and advice about all aspects of storing grain on-farm.

One last webinar remaining is being held on 10 December, in regard to aeration cooling.

For more information and to register, go to storedgrain.com.au/event/webinar-planning-storage or contact Amy Harwood via amy.harwood@bcg.org.au or 0456 979 561.

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Contacting Agriculture Victoria

Call 136 186 from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call (except for mobiles and public telephones).

If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment
contact the National Relay Service on 133 677 or www.relayservice.gov.au.

A full list of our contact points can be found at:
agriculture.vic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us.

Don't forget to check out Agriculture Victoria's social media sites for up-to-date information and news.

 

 

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Privacy | Email: sarah.hetherington@ecodev.vic.gov.au or 0409 405 639

 
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