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Gippsland Ag News
 
Thursday, 25 June 2020
In this edition:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) update
staying home if we're sick keeps us together

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

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.

Latest news
Old and new tricks for practical risk management

Mixed farmers can hear about old and new tricks to manage risks during a Smart Farming webinar, hosted by Agriculture Victoria, next Monday 29 June.

Whether it’s fire, flood, drought or unseasonal conditions, the webinar will help mixed farmers improve their ability to identify, understand and manage risks.

Presenter Dr Kate Burke will discuss strategies farmers can use to help them focus their decision-making and how they can go about assessing risk in terms of ‘actual versus perceived’, likelihood and consequence.

Dr Burke will also provide effective strategies to manage risk, including what high-performing farmers and business managers do well.

Agriculture Victoria Land Management Extension Officer Martin Hamilton said risk management boiled down to farmers having the right “tricks” on hand to make critical decisions.

“As we’ll show in the webinar, seeing how others have handled risk well is a practical way of developing your own skills.”
Mr Hamilton said Dr Burke is a highly experienced independent farm consultant with extensive experience in agronomy.

“Dr Burke spent time in the corporate sector as a commercial manager of one of the largest grain producers in Australia and knows what it takes to run a profitable farm business,” he said.

Dr Burke has 30 years of experience in agriculture working with farmers, students, investors and regional communities in north west and northern Victoria.

The session will be recorded and made available for those who register.

Registrations (via Zoom) can be made here https://bit.ly/2YY1wqW

For more information and to register, contact Martin Hamilton on 0429 946 149 or martin.hamilton@agriculture.vic.gov.au
or Adam Buzza on 0447 525 457 or adam.buzza@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Targets for maternals

Dr Ralph Behrendt, Agriculture Victoria, Hamilton

Key findings

  • Maternal composite ewes eat more at feed on offer (FOO) levels between 700 kg – 1500 kg DM/ha than predicted using current feeding standards.
  • Guidelines for managing target Condition Score (CS) for crossbred and composite ewes are different from those recommended for Merino ewes.
  • Optimal CS for crossbred and composite ewes at lambing is similar to Merinos for single-bearing ewes (CS 3) but higher for multiple-bearing ewes (CS 3.4 – 3.7).
  • Single-bearing ewes need to be managed to ensure that they are not overweight at lambing, which increases the chance of dystocia.
  • Pregnancy scanning of ewes will allow single- and twin-bearing ewes to be managed to optimise ewe and lamb survival, and subsequent lamb growth rates.

Lifetime Ewe Management (LTEM) has been successful in promoting the management requirements of Merino ewes and the implications of not meeting identified targets.

Producers who have adopted LTEM practices have increased stocking rates and lamb marking percentages, and decreased ewe mortality.

Although some of these changes have also been implemented on farms with crossbred and maternal composite ewes, guidelines developed for Merino ewes with a focus on wool production may not be optimal for prime lamb production and maternal composite ewes.

This article outlines the results from a series of experiments that have been used to develop guidelines for crossbred ewes used for prime lamb production, such as first cross and maternal composite ewes.

Condition score and feed requirements of maternal composites

Field experiments on four sites across southern Australia using 6000 pregnant ewes were conducted in 2014 and 2015.

These experiments investigated the impact of different CS during mid- to late pregnancy on maternal composite ewes, and the impact of different levels of FOO at lambing and during lactation.

The results showed there were predictable impacts of manipulating ewe liveweight or CS during pregnancy on the birthweight of single and twin lambs.

Low ewe CS at lambing had a negative impact on birthweight and weaning weight, resulting in lower carcase weight at slaughter. The mating weight of ewe lambs and carryover reproduction of the ewe were also negatively affected.

Lower ewe CS (2.5 – 2.7) at lambing had little effect on survival of single lambs, but CS greater than 3.5 had negative effects due to increased incidence of dystocia.

Improving CS during pregnancy and at lambing increased twin lamb survival to marking, from 78 per cent to close to 90 per cent when ewe flocks achieved an average CS of 3.2 – 3.5 at lambing.

Having high levels of FOO at lambing and during lactation did not completely offset the negative impacts of poor nutrition during pregnancy on birthweight and weaning weight.

These experiments also showed that the maternal composite ewes were gaining weight during pregnancy at lower FOO levels than expected. These results raised questions about whether maternal composite ewes were more feed-efficient or just eating more.

Bigger eaters or more efficient?

Follow up indoor feeding experiments then investigated the maintenance energy requirements and energy efficiency of maternal composite sheep. The feed intake of crossbred ewes grazing at different levels of FOO was also investigated.

These experiments showed crossbred ewes had higher feed intake than expected at different levels of FOO under grazing, compared with the current feeding standards for sheep. The indoor feeding experiments showed the ewes also had higher potential feed intake than predicted, based on their size and CS.

In addition, these indoor experiments showed that the energy contained in their tissues also varied from the estimates used in the current standards to calculate nutritional requirements. This was most likely due to differences in body composition (fat and muscle).

New CS targets for maternal composites

These results were then used to update feed budgeting models and production responses within a whole-farm MIDAS* model to predict the optimum CS targets for different regions.

Optimum CS targets for a typical farm in the Hamilton region were determined for a prime lamb producing enterprise that purchased all replacement ewes. Three different times of lambing were evaluated for this farm using the whole-farm model (Table 1).

Table 1. Optimum condition score (CS) for composite or crossbred ewes at joining, day 90 and lambing for each lambing date, if the flock is scanned for multiples, on a typical farm at Hamilton

Table 1. Optimum condition score (CS) for composite or crossbred ewes at joining, day 90 and lambing for each lambing date, if the flock is scanned for multiples, on a typical farm at Hamilton

While these targets have been developed for Hamilton, they are unlikely to differ for other areas, especially the targets at lambing.

The optimum target for CS at joining may vary slightly based on time of lambing and the cost-effectiveness of feeding ewes to reach CS targets. For earlier lambing, the optimum CS at joining at the end of spring is the level that the ewes reach without supplementary feeding.

However, the highest CS attained at the end of spring needs to be managed so that the target lambing CS can be achieved without excessive liveweight loss during early and late pregnancy.

For later lambing, liveweight loss from the peak highest CS at the end of spring is managed with supplementary feeding to achieve the joining CS that allows the lambing target to be achieved without excessive liveweight loss.

The optimum target is to join ewes at CS 3.8 – 4.1 and to lose body condition (up to 1 CS) during pregnancy, resulting in lambing at CS 3.0 – 3.1 for single-bearing ewes and CS 3.4 – 3.7 for multiple-bearing ewes (see Table 1 for CS targets at Hamilton).

The difference from the recommendations for Merino ewes is the optimum CS in high-rainfall environments for unscanned Merino spring lambing ewes is to join and lamb at CS 3. Where ewes are pregnancy scanned and separately managed based on single or twin status the target at lambing is CS 3.3 for twinning ewes.

The higher CS at joining for maternal composites is driven by the higher CS at lambing and recovery of CS after lambing to reach higher CS at the end of the growing season, which will also support higher subsequent conception rates.

To achieve these CS targets, the challenge is to manage for gradual weight loss over summer, autumn and early winter when feed quality and quantity are usually limiting.

The difference in optimum guidelines for multiple- and single-bearing ewes reinforces the value of pregnancy scanning and managing ewes to their nutritional needs and targets.

Single-bearing ewes need to lose 0.7 – 1 CS between joining and lambing to minimise dystocia and can lose weight in both early and late pregnancy.

Multiple-bearing ewes can lose some weight in early pregnancy but must then maintain weight or have only a small, slow weight loss in late pregnancy.

This research was supported by Agriculture Victoria, Meat & Livestock Australia, South Australian Research and Development Institute, Rural Industries Skills Training and Murdoch University.

*MIDAS Model of an Integrated Dryland Agricultural System

Support available to help boost water productivity

The Victorian Government recently announced the amount available for the On-Farm Drought Resilience Grant Program has increased from $5000 to $10,000.

Farmers can access up to $5000, with 50 per cent co-contribution, for drought infrastructure investments and up to $5000 for farm business planning activities.

Recent changes to the program have also included additional eligible drought infrastructure investments to now include soil moisture probes, weed control and specific new technologies to improve mobile phone connectivity. 

For more information on the program and to submit an application contact Rural Finance on 1800 260 425 or ruralfinance.com.au

picture of a capacitance
 

A capacitance probe (pictured left).  These probes are installed in the ground in a representative area of the farm to measure soil moisture at 10 cm increments down the soil profile.  The soil moisture data is transmitted to your smart phone or other device and presented in a user-friendly graph format.

Soil moisture monitoring incentives are also available, until August 2020, to eligible landowners through the pilot Shepparton Irrigation Region Soil Moisture Monitoring Equipment program.

More details about this program can be found on the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority website, www.gbcma.vic.gov.au.

These soil moisture monitoring incentives are timely given that irrigators now have greater control of water around the farm as a result of irrigation system modernisation and improved farm irrigation layouts.

With greater control of water, irrigators can use soil moisture monitoring technologies to achieve even more water productivity benefits.

Soil moisture monitoring provides objective information and helps reduce the guesswork involved in irrigation decision making.

Soil moisture monitoring trial

Agriculture Victoria in conjunction with Murray Dairy trialled various soil moisture monitoring devices on-farm over a three-year period (2016-2018) under different surface irrigated forages including lucerne, sorghum and pasture.

Key learnings from the trial were:

  • Soil moisture monitoring can result in better irrigation scheduling decisions and improved water productivity over the season and it can be a very useful learning tool
  • Remote soil moisture monitoring systems (those that transmit data to your smart phone or other device) can make irrigation easier by significantly reducing the labour required for assessing when to irrigate
  • Care needs to be taken to install soil moisture sensing equipment correctly and to select a site with a representative soil type
  • Like any irrigation scheduling tool, soil moisture monitoring needs to be used in conjunction with other scheduling methods already used on the farm (ideally along with evapotranspiration (ETo) information)
  • Ongoing support, coaching and back-up service is essential
  • Readings from some soil moisture sensors can be affected by temperature and this needs to be considered when interpreting the soil moisture information.

One of the farmers involved in the trial summed up his experience by saying; "I’m happy with the probes. There’s definitely a place for them. They give you more confidence with your decisions."

Using soil moisture information

The graph below demonstrates the value of soil moisture information for irrigation scheduling decisions. The characteristic saw-tooth pattern created by soil wetting (irrigation and rainfall) and drying is evident.

Typically, irrigators use soil moisture monitoring to assist them to maintain soil moisture in the zone of plant Readily Available Water (RAW) to optimise plant growth. As shown in the graph, this RAW zone was configured for this site to lie between the estimated Refill point line and the Field Water Capacity line.

In this situation the irrigator regularly used soil moisture data to schedule irrigations over the season with good results.

Moisture levels were largely maintained in the estimated RAW zone, resulting in top yields and efficient water use.

soil moisture measured at different depths under surface irrigated

Soil moisture measured at different depths under surface irrigated pasture.

Further information on different soil moisture monitoring devices and how to use soil moisture information to schedule irrigations is available in the Soil Moisture Monitoring Technote (http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/farm-management/soil-and-water/irrigation), or by contacting Rob O’Connor on 0408 515 652.

To find out more about the On-Farm Drought Resilience Grant contact Rural Finance at ruralfiance.com.au or by calling 1800 260 425.

For more information about available drought and dry seasons support visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons, email drought.support@agriculture.vic.gov.au or call 136 186.

Seasonal climate update webinars for winter
image of BoM AWRA modelled plant available water

Agriculture Victoria’s seasonal climate update webinars for winter kicked off this week with a thorough look at the next few months ahead for the state’s grains industry.

The one-hour webinars, in partnership with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), are available to farmers in four states and are particularly relevant to those currently nursing crops through the growing season.

Agriculture Victoria seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey said his outlook presentations relied on the latest data from model projections for the key climate drivers as well as the oceanic, atmospheric and soil moisture conditions.

“Those joining a live webinar will be able to ask questions, but if you can’t make it on the day there’ll be a recording available that you can watch at a time that better suits,” Mr Grey said.

The link to the Victorian webinar recording (completed on Tuesday 23 June at 12 noon) can be found here https://bit.ly/2YoLyXE

“At this stage of the season the majority of the world’s 12 weather models are ‘sitting on the fence’ when it comes to rainfall in the next three months, although three of them are signalling ‘wetter’ for most parts of Victoria,” Mr Grey said.

“Four of the 12 models are suggesting drier in the state’s South-West region, while all are split in terms of the possibility of a La Niña this year,” he said.

More information about the winter webinars, or other Agriculture Victoria climate information can be found at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/weather-and-climate

Improving digital literacy and connectivity on-farm
improving digital literary and connectivity on farm

Want to know more about improving your digital literacy and connectivity? Need confidence to access technology to improve your on-farm decision making?

CONNECTIVITY WEBINARS

Join extensionAUS and Agriculture Victoria for a series of webinars which will provide a unique opportunity for you to address on-farm connectivity issues and help you to understand available digital technology - how to measure it and how to make it work as best as possible for you and your business.

WEBINAR DATES AND TIMES

Webinar 1 – On-farm connectivity
Tuesday 21 July
1.30 – 2.30 pm
Register or join at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89710895573

Webinar 2 - Getting the most out of video
meeting software
Tuesday 28 July
1.30 – 2.30 pm
Register or join at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86270444624

Webinar 3 - Internet of Things (IoT)
Tuesday 4 August
1.30 – 2.30 pm
Register or join at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89327853496

Webinar 4 – Online networking to better
communicate on-farm and service farm
businesses
Tuesday 11 August
1.30 – 2.30 pm
Register or join at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84433966881

Contact: If you need help registering please contact
Gavin Beever, Cumbre Consultants on 0438 234 886 or gavin@cumbre.com.au

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AUDIT

An opportunity exists to participate in an on-farm digital technology audit conducted by phone by Agriculture Victoria, to understand the technology you already have available on-farm and how you can improve its efficiency.

Participants will be asked to identify what type of internet connectivity they have, where they have access to WiFi and how they use technology on their farm.

Participants will have time to prepare for the audit and will receive a property map and report of results.

REGISTRATION
To register for the audit please book a time at https://bit.ly/2VbBXBK

Contact: If you need help registering or would like more information please contact Andy Clark,
Agriculture Victoria, on 0436 804 656 or andy.clark@agriculture.vic.gov.au

For more information about drought and dry
seasonal conditions support call 136 186 or visit
agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons

This project is supported by the 2019-20 Drought Support Package.

Preference will be given to participants from Central and East Gippsland, the GMID and the Millewa region of North-West Victoria.

Navigating the new Agriculture Victoria soil moisture website
soil moisture monitoring website home page

Presented by Dale Boyd, Agriculture Victoria

In this webinar, Dale Boyd provides an explanation and walk-through of the new Agriculture Victoria soil moisture monitoring website.

The webinar includes navigating the website to highlight the features now available including easier access and the improved search function allowing users to distinguish between crop types being monitored and soil types and locations – all which influence soil moisture data.

Dale shares his knowledge in soil moisture information and how the dashboard is an important tool for farmers experiencing increasingly variable climatic conditions, specifically rainfall to make informed seasonal risk decisions.

About the presenter

Dale Boyd is a seasonal risk agronomist in the grains team with Agriculture Victoria based at 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.

Dale helps Victorian dryland grain farmers and advisors interpret seasonal risk information to aid decision making using soil moisture probes recording data down to one metre.

The data obtained from the moisture probes is interpreted and presented in monthly e-newsletter updates which aims to be educational on the use of technology and informative on the seasonal conditions.

Watch the recording here.

Discover the new Soil Moisture Monitoring site at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/soilmoisturemonitoring

Fox and wild dog bounty collection resumes
picture of a fox
 

Designated fox and wild dog bounty collection centres will open from this Monday 29 June, operating in line with physical distancing requirements including established drop off and exclusion zones.

During the suspension period, bounty participants were encouraged to continue to collect fox scalps and wild dog body parts on private properties as part of pest control activities, and to freeze or air dry them.

Hunters are encouraged to refresh their knowledge of the terms and conditions of the bounty to ensure what they submit is acceptable.

Participants can submit entire fox scalps for a $10 reward and entire wild dog body parts for a $120 reward during scheduled collection times.

2020 Benalla collections (fox only)
Address: Depot, 89 Sydney Rd, Benalla
Collection type: Fox only
Time: 10 am – noon

Dates:

Wednesday, 22 July
Wednesday, 19 August
Wednesday, 16 September
Wednesday, 14 October

2020 Broadford collections (fox only)
Address: 5 Mollinson St, Broadford
Collection type: Fox only
Time: 10.30 am – 12.30 pm

Dates:

Thursday, 23 July
Thursday, 20 August
Thursday, 17 September
Thursday, 15 October

2020 Ovens collections (fox and wild dog)
Address: 5338 Great Alpine Rd, Ovens
Collection type: Fox and wild dog
Time: 1.30 – 3.30 pm

Dates:

Tuesday, 21 July
Tuesday, 18 August
Tuesday, 15 September
Tuesday, 13 October

2020 Mansfield collections (fox and wild dog)
Address: Depot, 128 Highett St, Mansfield
Collection type: Fox and wild dog
Time: 2 – 4 pm

Dates:

Wednesday, 22 July
Wednesday, 19 August
Wednesday, 16 September
Wednesday, 14 October

2020 Tatura collections (fox only)
Address: Depot, 255 Ferguson Rd, Tatura
Collection type: Fox only
Time: 11.30 am – 1.30 pm

Dates:

Monday, 20 July
Monday, 17 August
Monday, 14 September
Monday, 12 October

2020 Wodonga collections (fox and wild dog)
Address: 14 Moorefield Park Drive, Wodonga
Collection type: Fox and wild dog
Time: 9 – 11 am

Dates:

Tuesday, 21 July
Tuesday, 18 August
Tuesday, 15 September
Tuesday, 13 October

Milking the weather - winter edition now available
Milking the weather infographic

The winter edition of Milking the Weather is now out. 

This edition features:

Download the latest edition here

Energy efficiency grants for dairy farmers
woman milking cows

Dairy farmers across Australia can now apply for Dairy Farming Business grants that will support them to make their energy use more efficient and to reduce their power bills through the Australian Government’s Energy Efficient Communities Program.

Grants of up to $20,000 will be available for a dairy farming business to upgrade equipment to reduce energy consumption, invest in monitoring systems to better manage energy use, and conduct energy audits to investigate other opportunities for energy efficient activities.

More information is available at Energy Efficient Communities Program and business.gov.au.

PhD fellowships in the dairy industry – apply now
apply now for a phd research fellowship in the dairy industry

In partnership with the University of Melbourne, Agriculture Victoria is offering 17 PhD research fellowships in the dairy industry.

Based at our world-renowned research centres at Ellinbank and Hamilton, successful applicants 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 https://go.vic.gov.au/wyePVD

find your local community recovery hub
Primary producers bushfire support programs
Back to business – one-to-one support for fire-affected producers
back to business one on one farm support for fire affected producers

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:

Online registration is also available here.

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

Small Business Bushfire Support Grant

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.

Victorian Bushfires Concessional Loans

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.

Emergency Bushfire Response in Primary Industries Grants

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.

are you a dairy farmer in the GMID?
Drought and dry seasons support services and information
Targeted drought resilience support goes digital

The Victorian Government is continuing to support farmers impacted by drought and dry seasonal conditions with funding and support programs that have moved online so they are accessible by more people.

The Business Planning and Management Support for Farmers program is part of the Government’s $31 million support package for areas affected by drought and dry conditions announced last October.

The shift to making support available online acknowledges the challenges that farmers are facing as they deal with drought, bushfires and coronavirus (COVID-19). As part of the program, lessons in computer literacy are being offered to ensure everyone who wants to access support can take part.

Other initiatives being delivered to farmers across the Millewa region, Goulburn Murray Irrigation District and East Gippsland include computer literacy, to improve confidence and decision-making skills and online financial literacy workshops.

Farmers can also access other programs offered online by Agriculture Victoria such as learning modules on soil and irrigation management, and a water calculator to help make important decisions on water requirements.

The Government is also continuing to refine drought support to ensure it targets those most in need.

Farms and related small businesses in affected areas can access free and independent financial counselling from the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS), with $640,000 allocated from the program to provide small business financial counsellors in each of the North West, North East, Gippsland and South West regions.

Funding to the RFCS has also been made available to support farm recovery efforts, including $80,000 for Gippsland, $640,000 for the North East and $400,000 for the North West service.

The Dedicated Dairy Support Program has also been extended for another year with $320,000 to help farmers in northern Victoria scale up, scale back or transition out of the industry.

Meanwhile, the Catchment Management Authority Drought Employment program in the Millewa and the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District has been extended until September thanks to $500,000 in funding.

For more information about drought and dry seasonal conditions support and practical advice, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons.

Domestic and stock bore license fee waiver

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

CWA of Victoria’s Drought Relief Program

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

On-Farm Drought Resilience Grants program expanded
drought resilience grants program infograph

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).

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.

Upcoming webinars
Theileriosis in cattle in Victoria webinar

Join us for an update on Theileriosis in cattle including its cause, incidence, management and recent research.

Theileriosis is caused by the Theileria parasite infecting blood cells of cattle leading to anaemia. The parasite is spread by blood-sucking arthropod insects, such as ticks, which may infest cattle.

Theileriosis can affect cattle of all ages, with heavily pregnant, lactating, and stressed cows tending to be at greatest risk, sometimes leading to death, due to reduced immunity.

PRESENTERS

District Veterinary Officers, Dr John Ryan and Dr Jeff Cave, will present from an on-farm perspective and practical experiences.

Professor Grant Rawlin, Research Leader, Veterinary Pathobiology will report on recent research findings.

This event will provide up to date information on Theileriosis for farmers and animal health advisors to assist their understanding of the disease, potential impacts and recent research.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions at the conclusion of the presentations.

DATE: Tuesday 30 June
TIME: 7.30 to 8.45 pm
VENUE: Online

RGISTER online at: https://theileriosis.eventbrite.com.au

Details for joining the session will be provided via email after registering. A recording of this event will be available afterwards.

For further information, or if you have problems registering, contact Greg Ferrier at greg.ferrier@agriculture.vic.gov.au or 0438 738 634

African Swine Fever webinars – are you ASF ready?

A series of free webinars for pig producers to help them be informed and prepared for African Swine Fever (ASF).

To register, follow the link: https://login.redbackconferencing.com.au/landers/page/6dd71f

Webinar (3rd and final): ASF in Australia

 

Tuesday 30 June
2 – 3 pm

Register here

 

PRESENTER AND TOPIC:

  • Dr Regina Fogarty from Agriculture Victoria – Outbreak, preparedness and response

Free for producers. For more information contact pigs@vff.org.au

Farm Business Resilience Webinar Series
improve your farm business resilience

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.

Webinar 3: Your Resources

Thursday 2 July
1.30 pm

Register here

 

In this webinar, participants will be shown how to identify critical workflows, exposures and vulnerabilities, set priorities and access potential impacts using a risk matrix.

Webinar 4: Your Plan

Thursday 16 July
1.30 pm


Register here

 

In this webinar, an expert panel from across agriculture will discuss how farmers have successfully built business resilience over the last decade, where are the main gaps, and how can farms build resilience into the future.

Ellinbank Seminar Series 2020
The Biosecurity Plan Builder
Details

 

Wednesday 1 July

12.30 pm

Register here

 

PRESENTER AND TOPIC:

  • Dr Maria Rose, Dairy Extension Officer, Biosecurity and Agriculture Services, Maffra –The Biosecurity Plan Builder: promoting uptake of biosecurity planning amongst Victorian dairy farmers

In her presentation, Dr. Rose will cover the rationale behind the Biosecurity Plan Builder tool and how it differs from other biosecurity templates for managing animal disease risks. She will also give an update on the roll out of the tool (to date and future plans) to encourage its uptake by farmers. Her presentation will also include stepping through the tool online and highlighting its features including some tips and tricks to get the most out of using it.

Multi-species forages as alternatives to perennial ryegrass
Details

 

Wednesday 15 July
12.30 pm

Register here

 

PRESENTER AND TOPIC:

  • Dr Anna Thomson, Research Scientist, Animal Production Sciences, Ellinbank – Multi-species forages as alternatives to perennial ryegrass: Beyond white clover!

Grassland is a crucial resource for the ruminant livestock industries within the agricultural sector. In most temperate regions globally, this land is predominantly sown with ryegrass: a high yielding species that can provide good quality forage but is reliant upon the application of sufficient nitrogen fertiliser, and susceptible to drought.

Nitrogen fertiliser is expensive and has a high carbon and nitrogen footprint. Therefore, multiple research projects in recent years have investigated the replacement of monoculture pastures with mixed-species leys. Their aim has been to achieve acceptable yields of good quality forage for livestock production whilst having a positive and long term impact on the environment.

In this webinar, Anna Thomson, who previously worked at the University of Reading (UK) before joining the Ellinbank team, will discuss her previous research into mixed-species pastures as part of a collaborative five-year study: ‘The DiverseForage Project’ and also summarise the findings of other notable European studies on this subject matter.

Mulesing 2020 and beyond: what is the future of breech strike control?
mulesing webinar
Beanstalk Drought Innovation Program
Event Details

WORKSHOP 2: Technology solution presentations and Q&A

Wednesday 1 July
1 – 2.30 pm

Register here

 

Your chance to understand how world leading technologies can help future proof your farming operation

Climate variability has placed significant pressure on farm systems and the viability of farming businesses across Victoria.

While we've had some respite, there is a recognition that we are moving into a future with increased climate variability. As a result, it is key that we gain an understanding of new technologies that might be added to our toolbox to better manage a profitable farm business.

More information about the program is available at www.beanstalkagtech.com/umbbg-droughtinnovation or by contacting  Belinda McKimmie, Upper Murray Better Beef Group Coordinator on 0488 760 517 or bmckimmie@bordernet.com.au

Climate webinars
climate webinars
DELWP Climate Science Webinars

Want to understand more about the climate change information available for Victoria? How has the climate already changed? What might Victoria’s climate be like in 2050 and beyond? Where do you even start in looking for this information?

DELWP is running two webinars to give an overview of the information from Victoria’s Climate Science Report 2019 and the local-scale Victorian Climate Projections 2019, as well as guidance on understanding and using the information.

Webinar 2 (and final): Victorian Climate Projections 2019 – findings and tips for interpreting
Details

 

Friday 26 June
1 – 2 pm

Join via this link on the day

 

Topics include:

  • What do the projections say for Victoria?
  • What are the benefits of local-scale climate data?
  • How to understand and work with the different sources of uncertainty in projections
  • Top tips to interpret the projections correctly
  • Lots of time for Q&A with DELWP and CSIRO scientists
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