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Loddon Mallee Ag News
 
Thursday 8 April, 2021
In this edition:
Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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

Latest news
Seasonal workforce welcomes Pacific power to the team

Victorian farmers have received a welcome boost to their seasonal workforce with more than 200 Pacific workers starting on farms, thanks to a landmark agreement with the Tasmanian and Victorian Governments.

Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas met with the workers recently as they started their first day on the job, picking and packing apples in the Yarra Valley.

The workers were among the first Pacific Islanders to fly in last month and undertake 14 days quarantine in Tasmania before arriving in Victoria over the weekend.

They have joined the workforce at Vernview Orchards at Launching Place - an apple orchard run by third and sixth-generation farmers Sue and David Finger.

Pacific workers have been part of the team at Vernview Orchards for more than eight years in a program that benefits both Victoria’s $15.9 billion agriculture industry and the economies of our Pacific Island neighbours.

Farmers and agriculture businesses have welcomed the restart of the Seasonal Worker Program and Pacific Labour Scheme. The reintroduction of these programs is just one part of the government’s comprehensive $76 million package to support the industry to find the workers it needs this season.

The government has co-contributed $7.8 million to quarantine costs for Pacific Island workers, with industry contributing $2,000 per worker.

Minister Thomas also announced a $150,000 grant to the Approved Employers of Australia (AEA), which connects permitted employers to the Pacific Mobility Schemes, supporting businesses to access these workers.

The grant is part of the government’s $1 million Seasonal Workforce Industry Support Program, which gives organisations dedicated resources to support local worker recruitment and retention in priority harvest regions.

Additional workers will join the agriculture workforce over the coming weeks as part of a planned, rolling flight schedule that will provide up to 1,500 workers. They will bolster the seasonal workforce across the state, from the Yarra Valley and Gippsland right across to Sunraysia.

The Break – seasonal climate update webinars in April

These webinars with seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey, will focus on the current seasonal climate outlook.

The outlook will be based on model projections for rainfall utilising current oceanic, atmospheric and soil moisture conditions.

These webinars are simply an online presentation which allows you to ask questions.

They will be recorded, so if you miss the live presentation you can watch it later at a time that suits you.

Victorian outlook - Register here

Date and time: Thursday 15 April 2021 at 12 pm 
Event number: 165 289 9402
Event password: Vicoutlook

South Australia outlook - Register here

Date and time: Friday 16 April 2021 at 9.30 am ACST
Event number: 165 670 7835
Event password: SAoutlook

Note: If you need to dial into the webinar, ring (03) 9070 6482 (note charges will apply) and, if prompted, enter the event number.

To join a webinar you’ll need access to a computer that has a good internet connection, and a headset or built in computer speakers and microphone.

You can also watch via computer and phone in (if you can’t access audio on your computer), or you can watch and interact in the webinar via your smartphone or tablet.

For more information about this webinar, email the.break@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Be ready for weeds this autumn

by David Shambrook, Dairy Extension Officer

A coolish summer with few hot days and some rain at times has enabled some pastures to remain green; it has also allowed any weeds that were not controlled last year to continue to grow and multiply.

The types of weeds that you may find in the pasture can be classified in three categories:

  • Survivors – these begin to dominate in pasture where soil fertility is low or declining; for example, flatweed (catsear, dandelion), onion grass or bent grass. These can be controlled by improving fertility and grazing pressure.
  • Competitors – they often respond to high soil fertility situations; for example, capeweed, erodium, dock, barley grass or thistles. These may be controlled by selective fertilising and intensive grazing at certain times using spray grazing or spray topping techniques.
  • Opportunists – these love to colonise bare ground, so maintaining adequate cover with a vigorous perennial pasture will help to control these weeds. Weeds like sorrel, Paterson’s curse and some of the competitor species mentioned above can quickly take over a pasture without grazing some type of control.  Even the type of animal grazing the pasture can lead to more bare ground being made available for these weeds. 

The extent that some of these weeds may be present in the pasture will depend on whether there was any attempt to control them the previous year, if there has been some renovation carried out, or whether weed seeds were introduced in imported hay.

An ideal pasture composition for most livestock producers to aim for is around 20 to 30 per cent legume base with about 70 to 80 per cent desirable grass species.

This has been found to provide a good balance of protein and energy through most of the year for livestock production to be optimal.  If you allow weeds to infiltrate your pastures, then this will begin to impact on your pasture productivity and livestock production. 

If weeds are becoming an issue on your farm, then they may cause the following problems to develop:

  • livestock poisoning
  • presence of plant parts that affect animal health, prevent grazing or reduce the value of animal products (for example, grass seeds that damage the skin or meat)
  • lower digestibility of available feed
  • occupying space and resources that could otherwise be used to grow more productive and desirable species
  • rapid spread into neighbouring areas
  • increased costs to control.

In permanent perennial pastures the best way to control weeds is initially through correcting soil fertility, improving grazing management, and possibly slashing and topping at appropriate times. However, autumn use of herbicides on broadleaf weeds can also be used to control weeds when they have gained a foothold in pasture-bare spots or campsite areas. 

The question is, what level of bare spots warrants monitoring for weeds as the autumn break rains arrive? If there were more than 10 to 15 bare spots, at 10 cm by 10 cm in size, in a square metre of ryegrass pasture, then oversowing may be required.

If you have around 60 to 100 plants per square metre of pasture, you will not need to oversow. Gaps provide space where weed seeds may be scattered as well as any more desirable pasture species seed.

Soil temperatures above 14°C in the top 10 cm, combined with rain events creates an ideal climate for weed seeds and pasture seeds to germinate, particularly if there are bare spots.

Weeds like dock, plantain, Paterson’s curse and onion grass which can survive for more than one year will have reproduced as well and continue to be present in the pasture now.

The question is, how much of the bare spots will be taken up by germinating weed seeds and will some sort of control be required?

Monitoring the bare spots in the pasture for the presence of weed seedlings as autumn progresses will be important in preparing for any possible control actions that may be needed.

Many weed seeds are large, so are quick to germinate, growing quite vigorously compared with the more desirable species like ryegrass and clover. This very soon results in the weeds shading out developing ryegrass or clover and competing for water and nutrients.

Make sure you can accurately identify the difference between germinated weed seeds and those of more desirable pasture species like ryegrass and clovers.  If the ratio of weed seedlings to the more desirable species in the bare spots is high, then spray herbicide control may be the option. 

If the decision to spray with a broadleaf herbicide is made, and clover seedlings are present, then make sure they are at a size (3 to 4 trifoliate leaf stage) to not be severely impacted by spraying.  Check with your agronomist as to the best herbicide to use in this situation.

Information about registered agriculture chemicals and their permitted use is available from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) database, a federal government database available at https://portal.apvma.gov.au/pubcris

You can use this database to find recommended chemicals registered for use, by searching for the weed or pest, and the host plant or animal.

Having chosen a chemical or broadleaf herbicide to control a particular weed or group of weeds, you then need to follow the label instructions on the safe use of this chemical.

As always, it can be all about timing and using the correct rates to achieve the best result. If the weeds are killed or are able to be slowed and then grazed-off using a spray-graze method (if that is one of the label recommendations), then the more desirable pasture species should be given more chance to be productive throughout winter and spring. 

If you would like more information on identifying any problem weeds or advice on which herbicide maybe most effective you should work with your agronomist or local chemical reseller or ring Agriculture Victoria on 136 186.

Five benefits of using eID

The value eID can bring to individual sheep businesses varies, but broadly includes these five benefits:

Measure the response to management
eID makes it possible to make a change and measure the difference – such as matching condition score at joining to pregnancy scanning result.

Manage individuals while also managing the mob
Use eID to monitor individual animals while running them in large mobs. The technology allows mobs of sheep to be boxed together for periods of time before drafting them back into their relevant classes, reducing labour requirements and streamlining grazing efficiency while retaining the ability to monitor individual animals.

Increase labour flexibility
Reliably condition scoring individual animals requires training – if key staff members are busy or leave, it’s not always possible to have a trained individual to complete these assessments. However, when eID equipment is set up, relatively untrained staff can collect weights – information which can be used to assess an animal’s status.

Select animals to retain
Use eID to collect data on individual animals to aid decisions such as which sheep to retain in the flock based on their performance. To do this effectively the data collection process must start as early as possible, from lamb marking.

Enhance traceability
The ability to track animals as they move through the value chain is an important feature of eID, but it’s not only useful for industry to prepare for biosecurity breaches. Consumers increasingly expect to be able to trace their food and fibre to its source and are willing to pay more for products they trust.

From the MLA Friday Feedback newsletter.

Select the right varieties when sowing early in the wet

Early rain across southern Australia could allow growers to sow early using winter varieties and paddocks with low weed burdens. PHOTO Nicole Baxter.

Growers in the high-rainfall zone (HRZ) of south-eastern Australia planning to sow into a full moisture profile are reminded to match their varieties’ sowing date to the optimal flowering period in order to mitigate frost risk later in the season.

Early sowing is a tactic used when a moist seedbed exists before the traditional sowing time around Anzac Day in April or early May.

According to the GRDC’s Ten Tips for Early Sown Wheat, the crops best suited to this approach are feed grains and dual-purpose crops such as winter wheat, and winter canola.

Winter wheats have a strong vernalisation requirement (cool temperatures between -1 to 16°C for a total of four to eight weeks) for the plant to progress from vegetative growth to reproductive growth stages. In contrast, the development of other wheat cultivars used in Australia is largely determined by thermal time (temperature).

Strategic paddock selection is also encouraged when sowing early to ensure weeds are well controlled as weeds, pests and diseases can easily thrive in these conditions.

GRDC Southern Region Panel member and agricultural consultant Jon Midwood says sowing rate should also be adjusted as crops sown early into wet soil are able to germinate almost immediately and tiller for longer than usual.

“A crop sown at the end of March will be in a vegetative stage of growth for longer than usual. If growers are sowing at the same rate as they would for late April or May-sown crops then there could be increased potential for disease as well as lodging and harvesting issues later in the season,” he says.

Trafficability

Waterlogging is likely to be an issue for HRZ growers with a full moisture profile in autumn.

Mr Midwood says damage to soil structure from machinery getting bogged in wet ground is a ‘hidden cost’ that could impact future crops.

“Filling in holes caused by bogged machinery could cosmetically fix the problem, but the disturbance to soil layers has the potential to affect crop growth into the future,” he says.

“Strategically sowing accessible paddocks and adjusting where crops are being sown will allow growers to get their crop in the ground if conditions stay wet.”

Growers using controlled traffic farming (CTF) practices, where designated compacted wheel tracks are used, can be an advantage in wet sowing scenarios.

CTF restricts all heavy machinery wheels to permanent traffic lanes where compaction is beneficial for paddock access. However, CTF adoption requires autosteer and a planned machinery replacement and/or modification program to convert equipment to full CTF dimensions over a period of years.

The GRDC Controlled Traffic Farming Fact Sheet outlines a number of positive outcomes for growers considering adopting a CTF system.

Pest, disease and weed management

Sowing early in ongoing wet conditions requires prudent weed and volunteer control to reduce any carryover disease burden.

Mr Midwood says sowing often prompts germination of weed seeds and if a crop was being sown into a paddock with a high weed burden then there would be a lot of pressure on a young crop to adequately compete with the weeds.

“Growers need to strategically choose their paddocks for early sowing and ensure they have had some kind of weed germination and chemical controls before putting a crop in, otherwise they will struggle to get on top of the weeds,” he says.

Growers who have kept summer fallows free of weeds and volunteers that diseases can survive on will have best results when sowing early. The GRDC Green Bridge Fact Sheet recommends eliminating host plants no less than four weeks before seeding. This will help address issues such as:

  • Cereal rusts and soil-borne diseases – Various rusts and soil-borne diseases can persist and even increase in the presence of a green bridge. Crop rotation can help manage the problem and risk can be diagnosed by undertaking PREDICTA® B DNA-based soil tests.
  • Viruses - Wheat streak mosaic virus, barley yellow dwarf virus, cereal yellow dwarf virus, turnip yellows virus (formerly beet western yellows virus) and bean leaf roll virus are viral diseases of note spread by insect vectors.
  • Pests – Slugs, diamondback moth, Russian wheat aphid, webworm, cutworm, armyworm, flea beetle, lucerne flea and a range of other pests use plants and stubble as food, moisture and shelter sources over summer.

Chemical control to manage weeds can be by pre or post-emergent herbicides, but as resistance issues increase, growers are encouraged to use a range of control options. A double-knock strategy is a good option for early autumn weed control, especially for hard-to-kill weeds.

The double-knock is a sequential application of two different control tactics within a relatively short period. It usually involves glyphosate followed by paraquat, paraquat/diquat or glyphosate plus an effective alternative herbicide at full label rate in the first application and a robust rate of paraquat in the second application.

Nutrient management

Growers who harvested high-yielding crops in 2020-21 will need to allow for additional nutrient requirements this year.

Mr Midwood says the ‘legacy’ of the previous season needs to be considered to ensure appropriate replacement nutrition is applied.

“However, with some fertiliser shortages in Australia, this will need some forward planning,” he says.

“If a grower budgeted for nutrient replacement from a five-tonne per hectare wheat crop but instead harvested 7 or 8t/ha crops then they will need to allow for that within their nutrient inputs,” Mr Midwood said.

“The soil nutrient bucket could be a little empty this year and if growers sow early and have a crop germinate straight away, nutrient deficiency could be an ongoing issue.”

Biosecurity risks at Victoria’s doorstep

Recent detections of African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease virus fragments in pork products seized at the border highlights the real and continuous threat of exotic diseases and pests to Victoria.

Foot-and-mouth disease is Australia’s biggest agricultural biosecurity threat, affecting all clovenhoofed animals. African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease of pigs which can lead to mortality rates of up to 100 per cent in affected herds. Neither disease affects humans, but an outbreak could have serious economic and animal health impacts, including the loss of important export markets.

No outbreaks of African swine fever have ever been recorded in Australia, and foot-and-mouth disease hasn’t been detected in Australia since the 1800s. Agriculture Victoria is working closely with industry to prepare for these threats. 

The Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment led two collection periods over busy periods between Christmas and Chinese New Year from International mail centres at Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Over the periods, some pork samples tested positive for fragments of African swine fever or foot-and-mouth disease virus. This builds on similar test results released in 2019.

Acting Chief Veterinary Officer for Victoria Dr Sally Salmon said the recent detections by the Commonwealth highlighted how easily diseases and pests could enter Australia and urged all Victorians to be aware of biosecurity risks.

“Whether it’s in someone’s luggage or in the mail, bringing in food, especially meat products, can also bring in diseases like African swine fever or even foot-and-mouth disease, which could devastate Australia’s agricultural industries and the broader economy for many years,” Dr Salmon said.

“It’s not enough to rely on quarantine inspections to stop potential pests and disease threats at our borders. When buying food and other goods online, always consider where they are coming from and whether they will meet biosecurity requirements before ordering them.”

“Biosecurity is everyone’s role and requires responsible actions by everyone. We all need to help protect our agriculture, our economy and our unique natural environment.”

Dr Salmon said the detection was also a timely reminder to all pig owners not to feed waste foods (swill) to pigs.

“Swill feeding or feeding ‘people food’ to pigs is prohibited in Australia. It is illegal to feed food waste containing meat, meat products and any food that was served on the same plate or that has come into contact with meat, as well as imported dairy products, to pigs,” she said.   

“Swill feeding is prohibited in Australia because of its potential to introduce serious animal diseases like African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease. These recent findings clearly emphasise why that prohibition is so necessary”

For more information about emergency animal diseases, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au

Soil Moisture Monitoring - pastures

Issue 6 – March 2021

For much of the pasture growing areas of the state it was an extraordinary spring and summer, in an extraordinary year.  For some sites, the challenge has been to use the bank of dry grass grown in spring before the 'true' autumn break.

Recent rain has topped up many soil profiles indicating a good autumn break.

In this newsletter we look at how and where the soil profiles have filled and how quickly they depleted if the break was early. Does this help in considering the autumn break or new sowing?

In this Issue:

  • A cooler wetter summer
  • Autumn break?
  • Central (Baynton)
  • North East (Greta)
  • Gippsland (Bairnsdale)
  • West Gippsland (Giffard West)
  • South West (Dartmoor)
  • West Wimmera (Lawloit)
  • South West (Pigeon Ponds/Harrow)
  • Feature: Sowing new pasture?

To learn more SUBCRIBE HERE to our newsletter.

Compiled by Agriculture Victoria seasonal risk agronomist Dale Boyd, knowledge broker (sheep) Jane Court and livestock extension officer Raquel Waller.

Sheep Notes - autumn edition
Sheep Notes autumn edition

Sheep Notes informs sheep producers about general sheep health and welfare, production, market protection and biosecurity issues.

It also provides details about specific department and industry programs to guide improvement in the productivity, profitability and sustainability of sheep enterprises.

Subscribe to the Sheep Notes newsletter on the Agriculture Victoria website.

In this issue:

  • Staggers
  • LiveFeed - seasonal webinar
  • Underperforming animals in a paddock full of feed
  • Assess feed and animal requirements
  • Online learning - stock containment; irrigation, soil
  • Digital Tips
  • Resistance to insecticides in blowflies
  • Farmer tips on autumn saving
  • High performance maidens, grazing weeds
  • Livestock Farm Monitor Project results
  • Free benchmarking and profit assessment
  • NEXUS
  • Did you know?
  • Do you mules your lambs?
Think Farm Safe, Be Farm Safe
its never you, until it is

Think Farm Safe, Be Farm Safe. 

Support the primary schoolers in your life to create something amazing for the KidSafe Victoria creative competition. 

The competition is part of Agriculture Victoria’s Smarter, Safer Farms commitment to improve safety and skills outcomes for Victorian farmers and their families.

Find safety support for your farm - www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/saferfarms

For general advice relating to farm safety, please contact WorkSafe Victoria phone: 1800 136 089.

WorkSafe can offer Farm Safety Checklists or free confidential safety audits and advice via its programs.

Boost for seasonal workforce accommodation in Sunraysia and the Goulburn Valley

Seasonal workers in the Sunraysia and the Goulburn Valley will have access to better accommodation and transport options, thanks to two new grants.

Recently the Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas announced the latest recipients of the Seasonal Workforce Accommodation Program - Swan Hill Rural City Council and Fruit Growers Victoria.

Swan Hill Rural City Council will use the $500,000 grant to reform illegal and inappropriate accommodation, and facilitate the development of new COVIDSafe accommodation.

Fruit Growers Victoria’s $365,000 grant will coordinate pastoral care, accommodation and transport support for up to 1,000 seasonal workers in the Goulburn Valley.

The $6 million Seasonal Workforce Accommodation Program is part of the Victorian Government’s $76 million program to support industry and farm employers as they adapt to meet the challenges bought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

The grants are helping regional organisations and communities deliver COVIDSafe accommodation, transport and support services for seasonal horticultural workers, which in turn helps employers attract and retain workers.

For more information about seasonal workforce support for jobseekers and employers, including financial incentives and assistance finding a harvest job or workers, visit: agriculture.vic.gov.au/bigharvest

Fox and wild dog bounty collections
Fox and Wild Dog Bounty collections

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, good hygiene practices and wearing a face mask indoors and where you can’t distance outdoors.

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 and will run until the end of October.

You can view the Collection schedule for North West Victoria or call the Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

In case you missed it

New worker accommodation taking shape in Mallee

Workers in the Mallee region will have access to more accommodation options, thanks to support from the State Government.

Works at the Swan Hill Worker Housing project, part of a $3.4 million investment to attract more workers to the region, began this week.

Helping pets find a loving home

The State Government is ensuring more pets get the loving homes they deserve with a new taskforce dedicated to rehoming animals.

Autumn pest animal baiting program

Having an autumn baiting program is generally part of a well-planned pest animal management program for many producers and land managers.

Export lift for Victorian summer fruit growers

Victoria’s lucrative summer fruit exports to China and Malaysia have been given a significant boost, thanks to a funding initiative from the State Government.

Weekly irrigation requirements
weekly irrigation requirements

Mallee

This update provides ‘reference evapotranspiration’ (ETo) data to assist with improved irrigation scheduling for top growth rates and yields for the Mallee region.

Northern Victoria

This update provides ‘reference evapotranspiration’ (ETo) information to assist with improved irrigation scheduling for top yields and high-water productivity.

The interactive irrigation scheduling tool helps you determine the most productive timing for the next surface irrigation for your unique circumstances.  It uses the same ETo information in the tables below.

Goulburn to Murray trade rule review

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) is proposing changes to operating rules and trade rules to ensure that water traded from the Goulburn to the Murray can be delivered without unacceptable impacts on the environment or the reliability of other entitlements.

Delivering water from the Goulburn inter-valley trade account during summer and autumn to support water requirements of the Murray system caused significant environmental damage to the lower Goulburn River over the two irrigation seasons of 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Public consultation on the Regulatory Impact Statement is now underway

DELWP has prepared a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) that assesses refined trade rule options based on what community consultation last year and identifies new operating rules for lower, more variable flows based on advice from an independent scientific panel.

The RIS also includes long-term options for restricting tagged water use to continue the interim restrictions in place since 2019 that means tagged water cannot be used when trade is closed.

As part of the Goulburn to Murray Trade Review, proposed long-term changes for managing trade between the Goulburn system and the Lower Broken Creek have also been identified in the RIS, building on what we heard through consultation last year.

A separate consultation paper has been prepared to explore in more detail the unique circumstances of this trading zone and how the zone could be treated under the proposed changes to the Goulburn to Murray inter-valley trade rules.

DELWP is now seeking community feedback on the preferred option and related implementation plan identified in the RIS.

Online and face-to-face consultation is running for six weeks with submissions closing 30 April.

DELWP will take on board feedback from the community in making a final decision prior to 1 July 2021 on any changes to operating rules, trade rules and tagging arrangements.

Further information is available on the Engage Victoria website and the Water Register website.

What's on?

Details about Agriculture Victoria events can now be found in one spot on our website. Log on to agriculture.vic.gov.au/events to find out what's on.

Express finance course for young farmers
farm finance getting prepared webinar series

How’s your farm cashflow budget looking?

Are you accounting for everything coming in and going out?

Is it helping you understand your potential sales income and to plan ahead with your spending?

The ‘Farm Finance – Getting Prepared’ webinar series breaks down every aspect of farm finance and runs from 7 - 8.30 pm on the following dates:

  • Farm business risks – 29 April
  • Business risks impact on cashflow – 13 May
  • Putting the plan into actions – 27 May.

The sessions will be delivered by ORM Agribusiness Consultant Jane Foster, supported by Ms Wallis and participants will have opportunities to ask questions.

Participants can register via ZOOM:

The Farm Finance – Getting Prepared series is supported by Agriculture Victoria’s Smarter, Safer Farms program.

Find out more from sarah.wallis@agriculture.vic.gov.au

NLIS database training webinar

Friday 30 April, 10 - 11 am

Register here.

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!

GRDC events - Loddon Mallee

GRDC Farm Business Update – Online

21 April, 1 – 2 pm

Fundamentals of Operations Management - Key Points to Get Right (a Cropping Enterprise Case Study).

GRDC Farm Business Update National Livestreams are topic specific, interactive, interview style discussions that address key farm business management improvements common to grain growing businesses across Australia.

More details coming soon. Registration for the live-stream events is free. The recordings will be uploaded to the GRDC website for people to view at a later date.

Register online.

GRDC Grains Research Update - Woomelang

13 July, 9 am - 1 pm

The GRDC Grains Research Update events are for agronomists, consultants, researchers and growers to see and discuss the latest in research and to network with their peers about how to apply new and relevant information to the latest farming systems.

Speakers and Topics coming soon

You can register online.

How can genetics influence the future productivity of the sheep industry?

Genetic selection can play a powerful role within the sheep industry but how can it work best for you?

Dr Mark Ferguson. who is the Chief Executive Officer of NextGen Agri in New Zealand, will present about the power of genes and how producers can capitalise on incorporating genetic selection in their enterprise.

When: Thursday 15 April
Where: Online webinar
Time: 1 pm.

Go online for more information or to register for the event.

Mildura Field Days

The Mildura Field Days will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2021.

The 2021 event will be held on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 May at the Mildura Racing Club, 53 Racecourse Road, just off Cowra Ave Mildura.

More information is available by contacting Mildura Field Days on 0487 021 122, visit the website or email jo@mildurafielddays.com.au

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All contact points can be found at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us

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