• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Whole farm planning course for south-west farmers
• Don’t cross the tick: ehrlichiosis in dogs
• Investing in the future of Victoria’s young farmers
• Drink Victorian: New backing for local brewers, bars
• Young Farmer Program webinar series
• Fox and wild dog bounty details
• What's on

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

Are you a farmer in South-West Victoria? Have you thought about developing risk management strategies for the next fire, flood or drought? Are you interested in making your farm more resilient, productive and sustainable? Have you always wanted to complete a whole farm planning course but have never found time?

Agriculture Victoria Land Management Officer Clem Sturmfels said if you answered yes to any of these questions then the new online whole farm planning course run by Agriculture Victoria this winter may be what you are after.

“The primary aim of whole farm planning is the protection and management of critical farm assets: your soil, water and vegetation – all of which underpin farm productivity.

“If you are keen to improve your farm design and layout, optimise production aligned to your land capability and improve the quality of your soil and water, this is the course for you.

“If you are able to commit a few hours over six weeks this winter, this course will make your farm a more productive and attractive place to live, work and raise your family,” Mr Sturmfels said.

The course will run on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for six weeks, commencing on Tuesday 8 June.

Each session will run for approximately two hours and will include a mix of formal presentations and hands-on activities.

Recorded videos will allow you to view the session at your leisure and refer to information you might have missed. You will require good internet service and basic computer skills to participate.

The course will be delivered by Agriculture Victoria staff, with support from the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

For more information or to register your interest please contact Clem Sturmfels, 0429 018 879, clem.sturmfels@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

Victorian dog owners and veterinarians are reminded to be on the lookout for a new dog disease which is spread by the brown dog tick biting dogs.

Ehrlichiosis was found for the first time in Australia in the Kimberley region in mid-2020. It is now found across mainland Australia apart from Victoria and the ACT, after being confirmed in South Australia in the last week.

Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Graeme Cooke said symptoms could include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, cloudy eyes or conjunctivitis, pain, stiffness, nosebleeds, bruising on the gums or belly, and enlarged lymph nodes.

To date, no dog originating from Victoria has tested positive to ehrlichiosis, also known as canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME), a bacterial disease caused by Ehrlichia canis (E. canis).

“With dogs travelling readily around Australia, we need to be particularly mindful of these symptoms if they have come from another state or territory with confirmed cases and brown dog ticks present.

“​Reduce the risk of bringing the disease into Victoria by adopting or purchasing dogs within the state and avoid bringing dogs into Victoria,” Dr Cooke said.

“Protect your dogs from ehrlichiosis by regularly checking them for ticks, using effective tick control and seeking veterinary advice promptly if they become unwell. Be particularly vigilant if you’ve been interstate with your dog.”

Ehrlichiosis is potentially a deadly dog disease and there is no vaccine, but antibiotics may assist in managing the disease if affected dogs are treated early.

“This is a notifiable disease in Victoria, which means it must be reported to the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 when suspected,” Dr Cooke said.

“You should regularly check your dog for ticks by running your fingers through their coat, on the skin, paying attention to the head, neck, ears, chest, between their toes and around their mouth and gums.

“If your dog is unwell or you find any abnormal bumps or ticks, make sure you promptly arrange to take your dog to your vet. Discuss with your vet the testing system in place for ehrlichiosis in Victoria.

“Put a tick in a clean ziplock bag and take it to your local veterinarian to submit for identification. Freeze the bag with the tick first if you cannot take it to a vet immediately. If you are unsure about what is an appropriate tick control product to use, then consult your Veterinary advisor.”

On rare occasions humans can become infected through the bite of an infected tick. Please seek medical advice if you feel unwell after being exposed to ticks.

For more information, visit the Agriculture Victoria website or call the Customer Contact Centre on 136 186.

L - R  Theresa Star - Cudgewa, Towong, Peter Carmichael - Buffalo, South Gippsland Jen Smith - Tambo Crossing, East Gippsland Isis Jordan - Castlemaine, Mount Alexander Georgia Douglas - Stuart Mill, Northern Grampians Tamara Pabst - Lurg, Benalla Minister Mary-Anne Thomas MP Tyr-Ryan Sturgess Myers - Shepparton, Greater Shepparton Ty Stanton - Lilliput, Indigo James Cox - Alexandra, Murrindindi Elizabeth Shotter - Fulham, Wellington

Absent - William Fay (Carranballac, Pyrenees), Richard McKee (Cowangie, Mildura Rural), Michelle Muir (Simpson, Corangamite)

The Victorian Government is continuing to support the future leaders of Victoria’s agriculture sector, with the 2021 Upskill and Invest – Young Farmers Scholarship Program.

Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas recognised the 2020 scholarship recipients at a ceremony in Melbourne recently, highlighting the important role young farmers play in Victoria’s $15.9 billion agriculture sector.

In its seventh year, the program has awarded 76 scholarships to eligible young farmers, supporting them with up to $10,000 to boost their skills and careers.

Each year the government provides $125,000 to the program. Each scholarship recipient is eligible for up to $5,000 to upskill through study and training, followed by up to $5,000 to invest in putting new skills into practice with on-farm equipment and technology, business planning or professional development.

Among this year’s recipients was Benalla sheep farmer Tamara Pabst, who plans to use her scholarship to undertake tertiary training in agribusiness. She then plans to invest in hi-tech animal scales for her farm that measure the performance of her flock and allow her to make more informed business decisions.

Giving young farmers access to advanced agriculture technology not only improves productivity and profitability of their businesses but also ensures Victoria stays at the forefront of modern farming on a global scale.

The Victorian Government continues to support the next generation of farmers through a range of initiatives and provides opportunities for young people in agriculture to have a say, boost their skills and progress their careers.

The scholarship program builds on the Agriculture Strategy commitments to grow, modernise and promote the sector – helping to deliver the agriculture skills of the future and building on the Government’s goal to grow Victoria’s agriculture sector to $20 billion by 2030.

For more information on 2021 Young Farmers Scholarships and to apply visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/youngfarmers. Applications close on Sunday 6 June.

The Victorian Government is getting behind Victoria’s brewers, winemakers and distillers with a new program aimed at getting more locally produced drinks into bars and restaurants.

Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Mary-Anne Thomas recently announced $1.5 million of funding for the Drink Victorian program at the official opening of the Australian Craft Beer Centre of Excellence in Ballarat.

The Victorian Drinks Alliance – a collaboration between Victorian beverage producers and Food and Drink Victoria – developed the program to build domestic demand for locally produced drinks, in response to the challenges faced during the pandemic.

Initially targeting 100 hospitality and retail venues across metropolitan Melbourne, the Drink Victorian pilot program will lead regional visits, host Melbourne-based ‘super tastings’, deliver training and offer marketing support to encourage venues to include more Victorian-produced drinks on their menus.

The program has been funded by the Victorian Government through the recently launched Food to Market program and the Small Scale and Craft program, with additional support from Global Victoria.

The Food to Market grant program is one of the key initiatives being rolled out as part of the government’s transformative Agriculture Strategy, demonstrating a commitment to supporting small-scale and craft businesses.

The newly opened Australian Craft Beer Centre of Excellence builds on a rapidly growing interest in brewing beer. The centre includes a craft brewery, a beer tasting and bar area, teaching space and a function area.

Working closely with Federation University in Ballarat, the centre’s “brew space” will provide an opportunity for small brewers to hone their craft and to also receive advice on how to develop their businesses.

The centre, which has been supported by the Victorian Government’s Regional Tourism and Infrastructure Fund, will create more than 25 new jobs and cater for a broad range of visitors.

Farm business risks are inevitable, but your ability to deal with them isn’t. In our new ‘Farm Finance – Getting Prepared’ program for young farmers we’ll show you how to analyse a range or risks and develop ways to manage them.

From developing your own risk assessment to using the latest risk management software, you’ll come away from the online ‘Farm business risks’ workshop feeling better prepared. Sign up today.

Victorian fox and wild dog bounty collections resumed on Monday 1 March 2021, in line with current COVIDSafe requirements.

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

If you are attending a collection centre, you must comply with COVIDSafe requirements including physical distancing and good hygiene practices.

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

Stay safe by following the COVIDSafe requirements and, if you feel unwell, get tested and stay home.

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.

The 2021 bounty collections will run until the end of October.

Find the South West collection schedule details.

Visit www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/bounty to find out more or call the Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

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!

WHEN: 30 April

TIME:10-11 am

REGISTER HERE

Are you wanting to reduce energy costs on farm? Do you want to increase farm energy efficiency? Want to know more about renewable options?

Agriculture Victoria is hosting a webinar series exploring energy options on farm from understanding electricity bills to energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The second webinar of the series will focus on energy efficiency on dairy farms.

During this webinar Gabriel Hakim will lead us through:

• where energy is used on dairy farms
• what can be done to improve energy efficiency in dairy farm systems
• myths, magic and misconceptions
• assistance and resources available.

Gabriel has a wealth of knowledge and experience working with dairy farmers and in the industry implementing energy efficiency and sustainable energy solutions on farm for more than 30 years.

Date: Tuesday 4 May

Time: 12 to 1 pm

Where: Online using Webex

Register or join the webinar here.

If you have not previously used Webex please join the webinar five to 10 minutes early to set up.

If you need assistance registering or would like more information please contact Sarah Clack on 0417 316 345 or sarah.clack@agriculture.vic.gov.au

For information on other webinars in this series or other energy events please visit: https://extensionaus.com.au/energysmartfarming/events/

This initiative is part of the Victorian Government’s Agriculture Energy Investment Plan, which is supporting producers to improve energy usage on-farm.

Navigating climate change projections just got a whole lot easier: A look inside the refreshed Climate Change in Australia website.

Date: Thursday 6 May

Time: 12 - 1 pm

Cost: FREE

Register here.

Originally launched in 2015/16, the Climate Change in Australia website, Australia’s national climate change projections website, has recently been refreshed to improve accessibility and searchability of the climate projections information within the website.

Based on user feedback, the website now has new content, including pages on interpreting the future climate by the level of global warming. It also has a new look, better navigation menus, and an improved search function; making content much easier to find. The refresh aims to ensure the climate change projections information, data and tools are more easily accessible to help decision-makers better understand their current and future climate risks.

In this webinar, presenters John Clarke and Michael Grose from the Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub (CSIRO) will walk through the refreshed website, highlighting improvements and new content as well as touching on popular tools and content within the website.

Presenters

John Clarke, Research Team Leader, CSIRO

Michael Grose, Research Scientist, CSIRO

You can join our webinars via your web browser, the WebEx app on your phone, tablet or iPad or by dialling in.

For more information about these webinars, including assistance joining the webinar, email climate.webinars@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Enjoying the Barwon South West Ag News? Then why not forward to a friend or subscribe yourself.

It's easy – simply click this link.