• Digital advance cuts red tape for dairy farmers
• Partnering to step up African swine fever preparedness
• South-west views sought on landscapes and potential conventional gas resources
• Is there a role for summer cropping in Victoria?
• What is photosensitisation in cattle and sheep?
• Agriculture Energy Investment Plan webinars
• The AgriFutures™ Rural Women’s Award
• What’s on

A new digital regulatory system will boost efficiency and food safety standards in the Victorian dairy industry while helping to strengthen global competitiveness in the sector.

The Dairy RegTech 2022 model was launched this week by the Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes at Dairy Food Safety Victoria’s annual general meeting, with a $500,000 investment from the State Government to pilot the program, which reduces the regulatory burden for dairy licensees and supports dairy education initiatives.

The pioneering model uses digital data collection and analytics to monitor the food safety performance of dairy businesses and has been designed in collaboration with the Victorian dairy industry to ensure global best practice in dairy regulation.

Anyone involved in the production of dairy products in Victoria is required to have a licence and comply with specific conditions. For many licensees, this involves an audit process which focuses on reviewing paper records.

The new digital model will support a proactive approach to meeting regulatory requirements and will include education and incentives to promote a positive food safety culture.

Dairy Food Safety Victoria is currently working with manufacturers and will kick off the new model with the farming sector from next year.

Agriculture Victoria is increasing its African swine fever preparedness, with industry and governments keeping watch for potential detections in Australia.

African swine fever is a deadly disease of pigs that has spread rapidly through Asia over the past year and was recently detected in Timor Leste

African swine fever is contagious among pigs and has a high rate of mortality in affected herds. It affects both domestic and feral pigs and can survive for long periods in the environment. Humans are not susceptible to it.

Agriculture Victoria met with key members of the agriculture and pork industries last week to discuss preparedness in the event that African swine fever is detected in Australia.

Representatives from Australian Pork Limited, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) Pig Group, veterinary consultants, as well as some large pork producers were in attendance.

Victoria’s Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Cameron Bell said working hand-in-hand with industry was a key part of being prepared.

“Biosecurity is a shared responsibility. Everyone has a role to play in being prepared for responding to an incursion in order to have the best outcome. The need to work collaboratively on African swine fever preparedness continues to increase as the disease spreads globally,” Dr Bell said.

“If African swine fever were to be detected in Victoria, we’d be working closely with the pig industry with the intent to contain the disease quickly so that it didn’t spread. We’d seek to do that by restricting pig movements, undertaking disease surveillance and addressing the situation on infected farms as necessary. Similarly, if ASF were to be detected in another state, we’d be working to prevent it from entering Victoria.”

VFF Pig Group President Tim Kingma said it was great to sit around a table with representatives from pig production, veterinary and government sectors all contributing to a discussion around preparedness.

“With African swine fever now so close, we’re extremely nervous about the risk. Everyone has a role to play in keeping it out – if you’re coming into contact with pigs, whether commercial, hobby farming or whether it be feral pigs, it’s imperative not to feed swill,” Mr Kingma said.

Dr Bell said it was crucial for everyone with a pig to have a Property Identification Code and to be recording movements through the PigPass database, which would enable Agriculture Victoria to trace the disease more quickly in the event of a detection.

“Everyone coming into contact with pigs also needs to be vigilant about what they feed pigs – only certified pig rations, grain, fruit and vegetables are appropriate,” Dr Bell said.

“Do not feed swill, or waste food to pigs. This includes food scraps with meat, butcher’s shop waste, or any food that contains meat and vegetables that have been served with meat.

“Swill feeding is banned in Victoria and throughout Australia to help protect our livestock from exotic animal diseases such as African swine fever.”

For further information about African swine fever visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/africanswinefever or call 136 186.

The Geological Survey of Victoria is hosting workshops across the south west in order to develop a land use model that captures the region’s unique natural, cultural and environmental features.

The workshops are part of the State Government’s Victorian Gas Program, which is assessing the risks, benefits and impacts of potential onshore conventional gas projects in the Otway Basin.

The onshore part of the Otway Basin extends along the south coast from Geelong to Lucindale in South Australia. Most gas production in the region is offshore but there have been some onshore conventional gas discoveries over the years.

The model is made up of over 140 data sources. It identifies areas of sensitivity and significance - such as national parks, wetlands and habitats of endangered animals and plants - that would need to be considered if onshore conventional gas exploration or development is allowed in the future.

Currently, there is a moratorium on onshore conventional gas exploration in Victoria, which is due to expire in June 2020.

The workshops will test the model with local communities to ensure that key landscape features or values have been identified.

Local residents are invited to arrive on the hour for a short presentation, followed by time to view the model and provide comment.

Geologists and other specialists will also be at the workshops to answer questions about the land assessment process, local geology and the progress of the Victorian Gas Program.

Details of the remaining workshops are:

• Tuesday 29 October at 4 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm – Lighthouse Threatre Foyer, Warrnambool
• Tuesday 29 October at 4 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm – Volcanoes Discovery Centre, Penshurst
• Thursday 31 October at 4 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm – Portland Library, Portland
• Wednesday 6 November at 4 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm – Killara Centre, Camperdown
• Thursday 7 November at 4 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm – Casterton Town Hall, Casterton.

If you would like more information, please email VGP@djpr.vic.gov.au.

Summers in Victoria are associated with dry stubbles and occasional heat waves, but could there be a role for opportunistic winter/spring-sown intercropping and summer cropping?

This is currently under investigation in a new Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Agriculture Victoria project, using field sites at Hamilton, Rutherglen and Horsham.

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

Wheat and canola crops begin to mature in mid-November and, in many years, leave behind soil water they have been unable to extract by the end of grain-fill.

Agriculture Victoria research scientist Dr Garry O’Leary said there is also rainfall over summer that could be utilised by a summer crop. Long-term records from Agriculture Victoria’s Hamilton research centre show that at least 125 mm between mid-November and the end of February can be expected in at least 50 per cent of years, while in the wettest 20 per cent of years summer rainfall exceeds 190 mm.

Records from other grain-growing areas across south-western Victoria show that similar amounts of summer rainfall can be expected.

Dr O’Leary said some of this rainfall is evaporated directly from the soil, while water that penetrates deeper contributes to waterlogging in the following season.

“To turn this unused resource into profit, the new project is investigating winter companion crops, intercropping and summer crops that could utilise this resource, while also reducing potential problems of excess water in the following season,” he said.

Opportunistic crops that are being tested this summer at Hamilton and Rutherglen include soybeans and safflower in intercropped and relay sequences, with other crops such as chickpeas likely to be added in subsequent years.

Under summer conditions, these crops are expected to mature within four months after sowing.

Dr O’Leary said the project was timely with Hamilton recording four of its five wettest summers since 1970 in the last 12 years.

In December 2018 Hamilton received 78 mm over three days in mid-December. Observations on research sites showed that to a depth of 20 cm the soil initially became wetter due to the rain, but this was all lost by later in summer. Since there was minimal plant growth over this period, the water loss would have been due to soil evaporation.

At depths of 30 cm and below the soil wetted and stayed moist, increasing the chances of an early onset of waterlogging in the following year.

In the previous year (2017), 138 mm was received in the second half of November. Again, the upper soil water was lost during summer, whereas below depths of 30 cm the water was retained over summer.

“These figures all point to the need to understand the likely trigger points for growers to profit from such opportunistic strategies,” Dr O’Leary said.

“If low-yielding frosted crops can be identified early enough, these can be baled for hay or silage and an opportunistic summer crop sown to utilise remaining soil water.”

It is expected the project will enable grain growers to benefit from a more diverse range of crops, utilising more seasonal rainfall, while also reducing the impact of waterlogging on the main winter crop.

For more information visit the Agriculture Victoria website –
http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/innovation-and-research/research-services.

With sunny weather and the green feed of spring, livestock producers are likely to see an increased incidence of photosensitisation in cattle and sheep.

The term photosensitivity refers to an increased sensitivity to ultraviolet light and resembles a bad case of sunburn.

When grazing lush green feed, cattle and sheep take in large amounts of the plant pigment, chlorophyl.

After the pigment is digested and absorbed, it passes to the blood from where it is normally filtered by the liver, broken down and passed out of the body.

If an excessive amount of chlorophyl is consumed its end products may not be fully removed and and they can build up to high levels in the blood.

This may also happen if the liver function is impaired in some way, for example, by liver fluke damage or damage from certain toxic plants such as heliotrope. There are other plants eaten by stock which have high levels of preformed photosensitising pigments such as St John's Wort.

The pigment can accumulate in the surface layers of the skin, and the interaction between the pigment  and ultraviolet light results in a burn-like effect in the skin. This happens on uncoloured, less hairy areas of the skin such as the unpigmented skin and teats of cattle and the ears and nose of sheep.

In the early stages of photosensitivity affected animals become agitated due to the burning sensation in their skin.

Affected animals will shake their heads, rub against trees and kick at their bellies in an attempt to relieve the pain. Their ears may become swollen and droopy and will seek shade during the day.

Photosensitivity can be severe enough to put an animal into shock which can be fatal.

On many occasions farmers only see the end results of photosensitivity where the affected skin begins to lift off as a result of the damage the burn has caused.

If detected in the early stages, antihistamines may help. There are ointments available for darkening teats which can be particularly useful for dairy cattle.

Affected animals should be moved into shaded areas and taken off green feed.

For further advice please contact your local veterinarian, Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer.

Come and join investment plan expert Peter Harrison as he explains the Agriculture Energy Investment Plan Assessment and Grant application process.

These 30-minute webinars will guide you through how to complete the energy assessment and grant application process. This will also include an overview of the Tier 1 – Streamlined Dairy Grants.

The on-farm energy assessment and grants are available to eligible primary producers until March 2020 or until available funding is exhausted.

Grants will be provided on a dollar-for-dollar cash co-contribution basis. Recipients are required to contribute at least 50 per cent of the total cash costs of the project.

An on-farm energy assessment is required to access one of the grants under the Agriculture Investment Energy Plan (AEIP).

Webinars running for 30 minutes will be presented at 12 pm on Thursday, 31 October (https://bit.ly/2VXBlyN) and 1 pm on Friday, 1 November (https://bit.ly/2pxJVrP).

Register via the links above.

For more information contact Sarah Clack at Agriculture Victoria on (03) 5824 5502 or sarah.clack@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

The AgriFutures™ Rural Women’s Award is Australia’s leading award acknowledging and supporting the essential role women play in rural industries, businesses and communities.

The Award provides a platform to inspire and support Australian women to use and develop their skills to benefit their industries and communities.

Over the past two decades, the Award has gained a significant profile, and is recognised as a program of influence among parliamentarians, industry, media and Award alumni.

Each state and territory winner receives a $10,000 bursary for innovative ideas and projects, access to professional development opportunities and alumni networks.

AgriFutures Australia is committed to the future growth and advancement of the Award as a means of identifying, celebrating and empowering women.

The Rural Women’s Award is one of many AgriFutures Australia initiatives ensuring our rural industries prosper now, and into the future

Applications close 31 October.

For more information, click here

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