• Coronavirus (COVID-19) update
• Young farmers: it's time to have a go
• Housing order ends in the Golden Plains Shire
• Boost your farm business skills with a mentor
• Optimistic results from intercropping project
• Warm humid conditions are ideal for flystrike
• Top tips for transporting livestock
• Do you need seasonal workforce assistance?
• Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty collections
• Promising step for Victorian industrial hemp
• Have your say on a new animal welfare act
• Celebrate your big crop
• Latest AgVic Talk podcast episodes
• RuralSnapShot competition
• Farmer mental health project seeking participants
• What's on

Safely reopening Victoria

The coronavirus (COVID-19) roadmap for reopening provides steps on easing restrictions, dependent on how many active coronavirus (COVID-19) cases are in the community and public health advice.

From 11:59 pm on 18 October 2020, restrictions are easing in both metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. Read the Statement from the Premier or visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au for more details.

Information for the agriculture industry

The Victorian Government continues to recognise the critical importance of the agriculture and food sector and will ensure our farms and agribusinesses can keep operating – to keep supermarket shelves stocked and food on Victorian tables.

Business and industry must operate in Victoria based on the following six COVIDSafe principles to ensure reopening is safe, steady and sustainable:

• ensure physical distancing (1.5 metres)
• wear a mask or face covering
• practise good hygiene
• keep good records and act quickly if staff become unwell
• avoid interactions in close spaces
• create workforce bubbles.

COVIDSafe Plans are required for regional Victorian businesses

From 11:59 pm on 13 September 2020, it is mandatory for every Victorian business to have a COVIDSafe Plan.

To ensure compliance, random spot checks are underway in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Your COVIDSafe Plans must set out:

• your actions to help prevent the introduction of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace
• the level of face covering or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for your workforce
• how you will prepare for, and respond to, a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace
• this plan must demonstrate how you will meet all the requirements set out by the Victorian Government. Some higher-risk industries or workplaces have additional requirements of employers and employees.

Businesses must review and update their COVIDSafe Plans routinely, especially when restrictions or public health advice changes. Organisations with multiple worksites must complete a COVIDSafe Plan for each worksite.

If you own a business in a high-risk industry, you must have a High Risk COVIDSafe plan.

High-risk industries include: construction, warehousing and distribution, supermarket and medical distribution centres, abattoirs and meat processing facilities.

For more information and for templates and guidance on how to create your COVIDSafe Plan, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

Victorian young farmers it’s time have a go and share your thoughts and concerns in the 2020 Regional Wellbeing Survey.

Please jump online and do the survey at www.regionalwellbeing.org.au

You could win one of 29 prizes worth a total of $9,200*.  You can do a short or long version of the survey, depending on how much time you have available.

The Regional Wellbeing Survey’s mission is to support research that improves the wellbeing, resilience and quality of life of people living in rural and regional Australia. This is done by asking thousands of people across Australia to do the survey.

Since the start of the survey in 2013, young farmers have been significantly underrepresented. Now is the time to change that statistic and ensure your voice is heard.

Agriculture Victoria supports the Regional Wellbeing Survey (conducted by the University of Canberra) and regularly uses the data and information to understand the needs of Victorian communities and to inform program design and delivery.

This year there is a special focus on understanding how events including COVID-19, drought, bushfire and floods are affecting people and communities across Australia (as well as asking some of our usual questions).

Find out more at www.regionalwellbeing.org.au.  Call 1800 981 499 if you’d like a paper survey, or for help with the survey.

The survey is voluntary, confidential and anonymous, and closes at midnight on 30 October 2020.

The housing order in place in the Restricted Area of the Golden Plains Shire to help manage detections of avian influenza ended at 11.59 pm on Monday, 19 October.

Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Graeme Cooke said the end of the housing order will coincide with a reduction in the size of the Control Area to reflect the progression of the response to eradicate avian influenza detections in the Shire.

“While this is another step in the right direction I strongly encourage bird owners in the Golden Plains Shire to continue to practise good biosecurity and take steps tostop their poultry mixing with wild birds.

“The end of the housing order and the refining of the Control Area reflects the progression in the management of this outbreak and therefore a reduction in restrictions placed on bird owners.

“As we have said throughout this response we are taking an incremental approach to our management to be confident that the threat of avian influenza has been eliminated and that if the situation changes we can respond quickly.

“Information and intelligence gathered so far, along with no new detections, means we are able to take this step.

“Our surveillance operations, including swabbing and testing birds, will also continue to monitor the viral load of avian influenza in the area.

“Other measures will remain in place however until the end of the outbreak, so please check the Agriculture Victoria website to understand what those are,” he said.

“We are grateful for the efforts of both industry and the community for their assistance with this response, whether it has been supporting our ongoing surveillance efforts or reporting dead or sick birds to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.”

Dr Cooke said all poultry and captive bird owners must continue to follow good biosecurity practices in order to prevent a recurrence of the disease at any time.

These include:

• keep drinking water and feed away from wild birds, pets and vermin
• ensure birds’ feed and water is clean from droppings or animal waste
• keep domestic birds away from potentially contaminated water sources such as streams, dams, ponds
• feed your birds good quality feed from a reputable feed-mill
• regularly clean your chicken coop, including feeders, drinkers and equipment
• frequently replace nesting materials.

Report sick or dead birds to the all hours Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

For more information about maintaining good biosecurity practices go to the Agriculture Victoria website agriculture.vic.gov.au/avianflu

Agriculture Victoria has an exciting new mentoring program for young farmers. There will be 10 available places in the 2021 program.

Agriculture Victoria Young Farmer Coordinator Sarah Wallis said this pilot program is designed to build a mentoring relationship between a young or new entrant farmer and an experienced farmer, which will be facilitated by a private consultant.

'This program offers young or inexperienced farmers an opportunity to build their professional support networks and learn one-on-one from a farmer who has years of farming experience and industry knowledge behind them,' Ms Wallis said.

'Mentee’s, with the benefit of their mentor’s knowledge and experience, will make better decisions, and thrive in their pursuit to be a successful farmer. In this way, mentors can ensure their knowledge, skills, and wisdom are passed on to the next generation of farmers.'

The young farmer mentee will be supported by their mentor to develop their skills in:

• managing their farm business
• identifying risks
• developing strategies to build resilience and achieve their business goals.

Applications must be submitted by Thursday 5 November 2020.

The Young Farmer Mentoring Program will be facilitated by private consultants who will match young farmers with a suitable, experienced farmer.

More information on the Young Farmer Program and the application process is available at agriculture.vic.gov.au/young-farmer-mentoring-program.

For more information please contact Sarah Wallis, Young Farmer Coordinator at Sarah.Wallis@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Intercropping is commonly used in backyard gardening, with the benefits well recognised, for example growing basil with your tomatoes.

To determine the potential of intercropping in broadacre systems, a state-wide project has been established.

Agriculture Victoria senior research scientist Meredith Mitchell said the project will determine if intercropping of two crop species when sown together within one space, could increase production and profits.

“Four species mixtures are being evaluated: field pea/canola, faba bean/wheat, faba bean/canola and barley/canola,” Dr Mitchell said.

These mixtures have been sown in different densities, ranging from a 50:50 mix where each species is sown at half its normal rate to 25:75 where one species is sown at a quarter and the second at three quarters of their normal rates. These are then compared with ‘monocultures’ where each species is sown at their full rate with no companion.

Dr Mitchell said the crops have been sown in combinations to provide a mixture of functional groups – oilseeds, cereals and legumes. They are sown together to complement their use of nutrients, light and water.

“This can be achieved via different root systems that access different spaces in the soil profile; different canopy structures that can maximise light capture and provide physical support; and utilisation of nitrogen fixed by the legume component. It is about synergy and the value of plants working together.

“In the second year of our research the experiment is showing intercropping has the potential to increase yield, value and profitability in cropping regions of southern Australia.

“In 2019, six out of eight mixes evaluated had a small, but positive yield advantage, up to 20 per cent, over the monocultures.”

In Australia, intercropping is not widely adopted due to perceived additional labour requirements and the added complexity of managing and harvesting mixed species.

Dr Mitchell said new herbicide options available for a range of crops make intercropping systems a possibility for broadacre cropping.

“Experimental plots were harvested with a conventional header and then the grains separated post-harvest. Further research is being undertaken to examine profitability and risk in a whole-farm context.”

The project is part of the Victorian Grains Innovation Partnership between the Victorian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), which aims to increase the profitability of southern grain growers through world-class research.

This research is part of a project that has core experimental sites at Rutherglen, Hamilton and Horsham.

In 2020, in addition to the core experimental sites there are also six satellite sites. The ‘Intercropping to exploit rainfall for profit’ project is a three-year investment.

More information about the project is available in two GRDC podcasts featuring Agriculture Victoria researchers at https://bit.ly/36ZaLNd and https://bit.ly/30ZXYGA.

Dr Jeff Cave
District Veterinary Officer

With the warm, humid weather we are currently experiencing, conditions are ideal for flystrike. Flystrike is a significant cause of lost production and welfare concerns in sheep.

Flystrike costs the Australian sheep industry approximately $173 million annually, due to lost production, treatment costs and deaths. Reducing the risk of flystrike has immense benefits to the health and wellbeing of the sheep and productivity.

The major fly responsible for flystrike in sheep is the green blowfly, Lucilia cuprina, and is thought to be responsible for 90 per cent of flystrike cases.

This fly has a well-developed sense of smell and is attracted to odour, moisture, blood, rain affected wool, fleece rot and daggy wool, and it becomes more active with increasing temperature and humidity.

The other primary cause of flystrike in Australia is the common brown blowfly.

This is a bigger and slower blowfly, which is not as active, but can cause just as much damage as Lucilia cuprina. Other species of flies can also be present in a fly struck sheep.

The timely use of appropriate preventive treatments is essential to limit the severity of flies and flystrike.

Sheep producers are encouraged to carefully watch weather conditions, and for the presence of flies.  They must also consider the type of sheep they have and any conditions that may lead to the opportunity for flystrike to occur.

Sheep should be monitored more regularly and more closely during danger periods.

There are a number of treatment options available and the proper application and choice of treatment will depend on the length of wool, time off shears and the future of the sheep.

Careful consideration of product choice is essential, and producers should take into consideration the relevant Withholding Periods (WHP) and Export Slaughter Interval (ESI) of any product used, and ensure they follow the product label directions and record the usage of all products.

For information on these different treatments and applications contact your local veterinarian, Agriculture Victoria veterinarian or animal health officer or visit www.wool.com/flystrikelatest or www.flyboss.org.au.

Agriculture Victoria has created a livestock transport checklist to help farmers prepare and plan their trips.

Agriculture Victoria technical specialist Kirstie Anderson said the transport of cattle, sheep or goats involves rules and regulations across a number of agencies.

“The new ‘Transporting livestock responsibilities and recommendations’ webpage provides everything farmers need to be across from market expectations to curfews, animals being fit to load, planning the journey and getting the paperwork right,” she said.

“If you’re selling livestock, either for slaughter over the hooks, to the saleyard or in a private sale, it’s important to consider whether the stock meet your customer’s requirements.”

“Meeting market specifications can lead to higher prices compared to selling stock that is outside the specifications and can help to create a good relationship with your supply chain,” Ms Anderson said.

“The page provides a checklist of everything you need to be ready for market, to plan your journey and to get the paperwork right.”

The checklist includes links to resources relating to market specifications such as age or dentition, weight, fat or condition scores, withholding periods, Livestock Production Assurance (LPA), Meat Standards Australia (MSA) or other quality assurance program information.

Producers, stock agents and transporters can access curfew advice and information as well as links to MSA handling requirements and standards to better understand specific supply chains.

The page has links to Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines, including the handy and easy to use booklet ‘Is the animal fit to load?’.

“Good preparation can ensure better animal welfare, minimize transport-related losses and can support better eating quality outcomes,” Ms Anderson said.

“We’ve included reminders about ‘spelling periods’ for livestock if a journey is going to take longer than the maximum time allowed, as well as maximum times off feed and water to help producers put their best plan forward.”

For more information visit the Agriculture Victoria website, or contact Kirstie Anderson on 0437 990 967.

If you’re a vegetable, fruit, berry, grape or grains producer, the Victorian Government can provide you with the support you need to find workers for this season’s harvest.

The Victorian Government can connect you with jobseekers, provide assistance with worker accommodation and transport, as well as support you to help make your business COVIDSafe.

Seasonal Workforce Coordinators and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Engagement Officers are available in horticulture production areas, working on the ground with farmers, employers and labour-hire companies to help address workforce needs.

Farmers can register their Business workforce requirements at the Victorian Government’s Working for Victoria - the online platform which matches jobseekers with employers. Visit vic.gov.au/workingforvictoria

To support Victorian agribusinesses through the upcoming summer harvest, applications for Business Adaptation Grants, and support for worker induction and retraining are open until the end of 2020.

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

Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty collections have resumed for regional Victoria.

Agriculture Victoria has a COVIDSafe Plan in place for each bounty collection centre.

If you are attending a collection centre, you must comply with coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions including physical distancing, good hygiene practices and wearing a face mask (unless you have a lawful reason not to).

Ballarat collection - Fox only
Address: 25 Vickers St, Sebastopol
Time: 1 – 3 pm
Date: Monday, 16 November

Colac collection - Fox only
PLEASE NOTE: Bounty collections at Colac have been relocated to 23A Hugh Murray Drive, Colac East 3250.
Time: 1.30 – 3.30 pm
Date: Tuesday, 17 November

Geelong collection - Fox only
Address: 16 Cadman Terrace, North Geelong
Time: 9.30 – 11.30 am
Date: Tuesday, 17 November

Hamilton collection - Fox only
Address: Depot, Hamilton Centre, Research Station Road, Hamilton
Time: 1.30 – 3.30 pm
Date: Wednesday, 18 November

Warrnambool collection - Fox only
Address: 703–711 Raglan Parade, Warrnambool
Time: 8.30 – 10.30 am
Date: Wednesday, 18 November 

For more information about the Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty Program, visit Agriculture Victoria's website.

The future of an industrial hemp industry in Victoria is looking bright, with the Industrial Hemp Taskforce handing down its interim report today strongly backing a trial site.

The cross-party Industrial Hemp Taskforce included Member for Mildura Ali Cupper and Member for Northern Metropolitan Region Fiona Patten.

It was established to examine the challenges and opportunities faced by the industrial hemp industry. In delivering their report, the Taskforce committed to further explore opportunities to develop the industry.

The Taskforce has spent the last 12-months engaging with industry stakeholders, participants and research organisations and with this report, has identified a range of opportunities and issues that the industry is facing.

Opportunities outlined in the report include making improvements in processing capability, closing knowledge and experience gaps in hemp cultivation, addressing regulatory barriers as well as more clear and accessible market information.

One significant achievement of the Taskforce over the last year has been facilitating the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Australian Primary Hemp (APH) and SuniTAFE in Mildura.

The partnership outlines a two-year industrial hemp research and development collaboration under SuniTAFE’s SMART Farm project to assess its suitability of low-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) hemp varieties.

Demand for hemp as food and oil products has grown rapidly in Australia since it was included under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code in 2017, however the industrial hemp industry remains in its infancy.

If successful, the trial would send a strong positive signal for hemp production and cultivation in the Sunraysia region, which could lead to the establishment of a promising new local industry, creating more local jobs.

The findings of the Taskforce provide a valuable evidence base on the state of the industry and highlight areas of focus to support development of the industrial hemp industry.

To read the report and find out more information, visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

Victorians have the chance to help improve animal welfare in Victoria by shaping new legislation, with a Directions Paper setting out key proposals and options for a new Animal Welfare Act now available for public comment.

Victorians are being encouraged to have their say on the options for the new laws, which will help keep a high standard of animal welfare and support Victorian farmers to maintain access to important export markets.

A new Act will deliver on the government’s election commitment to replace the current Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 – which is more than 30 years old.

The Directions Paper sets out several proposals for the new Act which aim to strengthen Victoria’s reputation as a humane and responsible producer of food, and to maintain public confidence in our agriculture industry, research institutions, and many other animal sectors.

Among the proposals put forward for comment are setting minimum standards of care people must provide for animals.

This would mean people caring for animals must meet basic needs of the animal – such as providing adequate food and water, and veterinary treatment for an injury or illness – rather than simply outlawing cruelty. 

Other options being considered are how best to deliver on the government’s commitment to recognise animal sentience – meaning they feel pleasure, comfort, discomfort, fear and pain – in the legislation and how to ensure regulators are better able to drive behavioural change, monitor compliance, and undertake enforcement.

This would further protect the welfare of animals, with penalties better aligned with the seriousness of the offence and authorised officers able to better ensure animal carers are doing the right thing. Recognising animal sentience would also bring Victoria in line with other Australian and international jurisdictions.

The Directions Paper was developed following extensive consultation with key industry and community stakeholders about our existing laws and opportunities for improvement.

The government has already made reforms to improve animal welfare including mandatory pain relief when mulesing sheep, regulating appropriate fruit tree netting to protect wildlife and introducing the Pet Exchange Register to improve the traceability of cats and dogs.

The government is also investing $3 million to support not-for-profit and community vet clinics, animal shelters and foster carers to purchase equipment and improve their services.

The Directions Paper and survey on the proposals for the new Act are available at engage.vic.gov.au. The survey closes on Monday 14 December 2020.

To celebrate the upcoming bumper harvest in Victoria, we want you share photos of your big crop on social media.

If you’re growing some whopper wheat, bonza barley, large lentils, colossal canola, plentiful peas or big beans, then we want to see them!

Share your photo on Twitter or Facebook and make sure you tag @AgricultureVictoria #BigCropVic on Facebook and @AgVicGov and #BigCropVic on Twitter.

Have you listened to the new AgVic Talk podcast yet?

We have several episodes out now, including:

• Spring pasture management of fire affected pastures with Fiona Baker
• Getting a foot in the door using drones on-farm with Clay-Gowers
• Balancing wet winters and dairy farming with Craig Dwyer
• Managing a dairy farm in a variable climate with Kevin Fitzsimons
• Using soil moisture monitoring to help manage seasonal risk with Dale Boyd.

Listen here

Are you interested in improving the mental wellbeing of farmers and people in farming communities?

Are you a member of a farming community OR a service provider/stakeholder providing support for farming communities in the Great South Coast region?

Have you experienced depression or psychological/situational distress OR have you cared for or provided support (formal or informal) to someone who has?

The National Centre for Farmer Health are seeking farmers and service providers/stakeholders for a number of exciting new project roles:

1. Community Working Group for guidance on project development, participant recruitment and development of new mental wellbeing resources (Expected commitment required: monthly meetings over an eight-month period)
2. Co-design participants to help inform the development of a new way of delivering peer-supported mental health support. (Expected commitment: 1–2 online workshops for 2–3 hours, one follow-up online survey for 30 minutes).

Financial reimbursement for your time is available for farmers and self-employed farming community members.

For more information or to express your interest in participating, please contact Alison Kennedy via a.kennedy@deakin.edu.au or phone (03) 5551 8587 or visit the Farmer Health website.

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

Agriculture Victoria is delivering a webinar for livestock producers with a focus on stock containment areas.

Topics covered:

• Placement
• Design
• Management
• Agriculture Victoria's Stock Containment e-Learning tool. ​

Date and time: Thursday, 5 November from 12.30 – 1.30 pm.

For more information or register here

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

Agriculture Victoria is partnering with guest speakers from across the lamb industry to deliver a four-part webinar series focused on mastering your lamb marketing.

When:  Every Thursday, 5 November to 26 November
Where: Online webinar series
Time: 7.30 - 8.30 pm

Topics covered:

• Part 1: Know your business
• Part 2: Know your customer
• Part 3: Know your product
• Part 4: Know your value chain.

Visit Webex to register for this event.

You only need to register once for the series. Recordings will be available for each session.

For more information, or if you need assistance registering or joining the webinar please email Alice Ritchie or call 0429 386 781.

Managing and forecasting cash flow is essential for any business.

For farmers it’s particularly important given the highly variable income that comes with seasonal conditions, market fluctuations and unforeseen circumstances such as fire or floods.

Being prepared, both on the farm and on the books, will assist in preparing for and managing challenging situations.

Farm Cash Flow 101 is a two-session course designed to help farmers understand cash flow budgets, and develop confidence using spreadsheets for cash flow management.

The course will run over two days:

Monday 26 October and Wednesday 28 October, from 11 am to Noon.

Monday, 26 October

• Why cash flow budgets are important and how they assist farm businesses
• Introduction to cash flow budgeting and spreadsheet basics.

Wednesday, 28 October

• Adapting cash flow budgets to different production systems
• Refining the spreadsheet.

Using case study figures from a farming operation, Farm Cash Flow 101 presenter farm business specialist Jim Moll, from AgBiz Assist, will show you how to develop a simple cashflow budget for your farm business, to get a better handle on managing income and expenditure over the next 12 months.

Once mastered, these simple Excel® spreadsheets can become an integral part of farm financial planning and management, revised regularly to reflect current circumstances.

DETAILS

How to participate:  Register on Eventbrite: farm-cash-flow-budgets.eventbrite.com.au

Join-in information and an Excel® spreadsheet template will be provided prior to the sessions.

For more information contact Greg Ferrier at greg.ferrier@agriculture.vic.gov.au or call 0438 738 634.

The webinar is provided in partnership with AgBiz Assist and the Rural Financial Counselling Service, through the support of the Victorian and Federal Governments.

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