• New urban network to bolster our plant health
• Soils Community of Practice update
• Finding Australia's next generation of lamb leaders
• Tapping into Victorian craft produce
• South-west dairy farmers welcome Nutrition Australia on regional tour
• Tertiary scholarships for students in dairy communities
• Last chance to have your say on sheep and goat levy
• What’s on

Urban gardeners will have the opportunity to collaborate and share knowledge to ensure the health of their plants with a new Urban Plant Health Network.

Victoria’s Chief Plant Health Officer Dr Rosa Crnov launched the Urban Plant Health Network at the Horticulture Industry Network meeting in Melbourne last week.

“Plant health and biosecurity isn’t just for farmers or commercial crop growers, everyone has an important part to play in keeping unwanted pests out of Australia,” Dr Crnov said.

“All of us need to keep our gardens clean and free of plant pests, diseases and weeds.”

The Urban Plant Health Network connects home and community gardeners with industry and government experts to help identify and manage new or ‘exotic’ plant pests and diseases.

“These exotic 'nasties' can spread easily from small urban gardens to rural areas, threatening our environment and our agricultural industries, who help customers around the world enjoy high quality ‘clean and green’ food and fibre.”

The network will publish seasonally relevant information and articles about managing unwanted garden pests and diseases through a new website, Facebook page and Twitter account.

The network will also provide an opportunity to connect urban gardeners with a team of skilled professionals who can provide advice on how to look for, manage, and report exotic plant pests or diseases in a home or community garden.

“Last summer, Agriculture Victoria responded to Brown marmorated stink bug detections in three locations in suburban Melbourne. Our urban population’s support of our surveillance was critical to the success of the response,” Dr Crnov said.

“With International Year of Plant Health just around the corner, it’s an ideal time to join the network and be involved in sharing opportunities to promote and participate in activities that support plant health.”

AUSVEG, Citrus Australia, CESAR and the Horticulture Industry Network are involved in the Urban Plant Health Network, with funding support from the federal Department of Agriculture and Agriculture Victoria.

For more information visit https://extensionaus.com.au/urbanplanthealthnetwork/home;
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urbanplanthlth; Twitter: @urbanplanthlth.

The September/October edition of the Soils Community of Practice update is now available.

In this edition agronomist Chris Bluett discusses the expansion of crop production in the high rainfall zone, highlighting how growers in Victoria's south west region have improved their cropping practices.

Get the Soils Community of Practice newsletter delivered to you by subscribing here.

Are you, or do you know someone, aged 18 –35 years who is passionate about the Australian sheep and lamb industry?

Well, we'd like to let them know that the LambEx 2020 Young Guns competition is open!

Six finalists will be selected from round one of the LambEx 2020 Young Guns competition to attend the conference in Melbourne, receive travel assistance up to $800, and will be provided with professional development opportunities during the event.

Entering the competition is easy! LambEx wants to hear your vision on how to connect the Australian sheep and lamb industry with city consumers.

Simply capture your vision in three minutes or less using any digital medium(s) including (but not limited to) video, photography with voice overlay, digital storytelling, graphics, animation, GoPro etc.

Unleash your creativity over the coming months to prepare and submit your entry by 31 January 2020.

For information go to: lambex.com.au/young-guns/

Victoria’s small-scale and craft producers are being supported to grow – creating new jobs and attracting more visitors from interstate and overseas to enjoy our locally-made food, beer and spirits.

Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes visited King River Brewing in Whitfield recently to launch the Victorian Government’s $10 million Small-Scale and Craft Program, encouraging all small-scale producers across Victoria to apply.

Two streams of funding are available under the new program:

• Stream One – Small-scale and Craft Business Development: Grants of up to $25,000 are available to eligible small-scale and craft producers for projects that support businesses to scale up, expand their operations and diversify their products – with applications closing on 6 December.
• Stream Two – Job Creation and Economic Development: Grants of $25,000-$200,000 will go to eligible small scale and craft agribusinesses for significant projects that will deliver benefits to the community and generate jobs. Projects involving multiple businesses are particularly encouraged to apply, with Expressions of Interest, which close on 31 December.

King River Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery based in the King Valley that produce small batch and preservative-free boutique beer. It has an onsite taproom giving visitors an opportunity to taste the range of beers available as well as serving up wood-fired pizzas.

The brewery produces a range of beer styles, ranging from light and easy drinking Kolsch and Pale Ale to more complex styles like Belgian Tripel and Doppelbock. The brewery is also known for its seasonal beers such as the Fig Porter that often sell out within weeks.

This new program follows on from the successful Artisanal Sector Program, which delivered grants to businesses in Victoria’s highly valued and diverse artisanal produce sector, helping them grow production, enhance their farmers’ market potential and take their local produce to the world.

King River Brewing was one of 248 recipients in the Artisanal Sector Program, receiving $5,000 to enclose the brewery and install a climate control system, in order to enable year-round manufacturing of their beers.

Victoria is renowned for its premium produce and the Government is proud to support agricultural businesses that not only provide unique specialty produce, but create jobs, attract tourism and ensure regional communities are vibrant destinations to live and visit.

To find out more about the program, eligibility requirements and to apply, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/food-and-fibre-industries/artisanal-agriculture.

Farmers in south-west Victoria have embraced the opportunity to showcase the region’s dairy industry to a visiting party from Nutrition Australia.

The tour, made up of 14 nutritionists, visited three farms to see how milk is produced and to gain first-hand knowledge of the paddock to plate experience. It was arranged by Dairy Australia and WestVic Dairy.

The itinerary for the day included: a visit to Phil and Symone Vines’ robotic dairy at Simpson to look at technology and innovation; lunch at Apostle Whey Cheese where sustainability and vertically integrated farming were discussed; a tour of Brendan Rea’s farm at Allansford where the focus was on modern farming practices, the importance of animal welfare and the stringent food safety checks that take place on-farm.

For Brendan Rea agreeing to host the tour party was an easy decision.

“Now more than ever it is essential that we educate and inform industry partners and the general public of what we actually do on-farm," he said.

"It is important that they are aware of how well we treat our cows and the environment and how seriously we take food safety.

"There is a lot of mis-information out there and we need to be proactive in dealing with that.” 

Nutrition Australia is the peak national community nutrition education body. As a long-term partner, Dairy Australia saw the opportunity to engage and further inform Nutrition Australia about industry practices, so they are equipped to educate the public holistically about food, nutrition and sustainable agriculture.

Catherine Godden, Health Professional Engagement Manager at Dairy Australia, said public expectations of the food industry are changing and consumers are increasingly questioning the healthiness of dairy and seeking answers to questions on animal welfare, as well as environmental and social concerns.

"Opening up our farms to Nutrition Australia provides an opportunity to show their staff first-hand the people and practices behind our nutritious products, so they are equipped to engage with consumers about broader topics than health and nutrition.”

Nutrition Australia Chief Executive Lucinda Hancock, said educating the public about the health and nutrition benefits of consuming dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yoghurt as part of a balanced diet has always been a focus of Nutrition Australia.

"But with growing consumer interest in how food is produced, its environmental impact and animal welfare concerns, our staff are increasingly faced with food choice questions that reach beyond nutrition," she said.

"The farm visits have provided our staff with a valuable insight into the dairy industry, which will enable them to answer these queries with informed confidence.”

Dairy Australia recently launched the new communication approach Dairy Matters, providing a platform to demonstrate the industry’s values and standards and demonstrate an understanding of public expectations and answer questions about the issues consumers care about.

Gardiner Dairy Foundation is offering up to seven tertiary scholarships for students commencing full time study in 2020 in a field which will benefit dairy communities. Each scholarship is valued at $10,000 per annum for up to three years.

In 2019, Gardiner Foundation was able to increase the number of scholarships awarded from four to seven thanks to a very generous bequest from the late Niel Black.

“This has meant we are able to provide more opportunities to students from rural communities,” said Gardiner CEO, Dr Clive Noble.

“Young people in regional areas often have to move away from home to complete their tertiary education. This puts them at a significant financial disadvantage and can impact on their ability to take up these opportunities.”

The tertiary scholarship program not only encourages students to return to dairy regions on graduation to contribute their new skills, but also places value on community contribution and personal development.

Students who have received Gardiner Dairy Foundation Tertiary Scholarships in the past have used the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities while studying, which expands their knowledge and skills.

Madi Gallagher, from Heyfield in Gippsland, is entering her final year of study after receiving a tertiary scholarship in 2018. She says the funding has relieved the financial stress of paying rent, “[allowing her] to concentrate on her classes and other extracurricular agricultural activities”.

Another tertiary scholar, Matthew Roache is a dairy farmer from Woolsthorpe, south-west Victoria, who moved to Wagga Wagga to complete his Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt University. Matthew also credits his Gardiner Tertiary Scholarship with giving him greater flexibility.

“It doesn’t mean you do nothing, but it means you can focus more on your studies and that will help in the long term,” he said.

Matthew’s time at University has solidified his thinking in that “[he wants] to return home and work in dairy agronomy”. 

The scholarship funding has given students the freedom to explore career pathways and gain extra experience that may not have been possible had a Gardiner Tertiary Scholarship not been available.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Pursuing a field of study that will directly benefit the dairy industry or dairy communities
• Commencing their first year of full-time tertiary study in 2020
• Required to live away from home in order to pursue their chosen course.

Applications must be submitted online by 5pm on Sunday 24 November 2019.

Further information and application forms are available at: https://gardinerfoundation.typeform.com/to/LrK1j9.

Today is the last chance for producers to have input on the duty paid by sheep and goat producers.

The duty, charged on the sale of sheep and goats in Victoria, was set at 12 cents in 1999 and has remained at that rate since.

Currently, the funds support projects and program benefitting industry, such as raising awareness of biosecurity practices. The Sheep and Goat Compensation Advisory Committee makes recommendations to the Minister for Agriculture about expenditure. The fund also allows for compensation to be paid to producers for sheep and goats in the circumstance they are affected by a declared endemic disease.

This review comes on the back of the sheep and goat industry going through major reform, having transitioned from a mob-based identification process to an electronic identification system over the last few years.

There are six options provided for the ongoing sheep and goat duty amount.

For more information on the consultation and to submit your feedback, visit here.

Agriculture Victoria is delivering a two-part webinar for producers using the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database.

Participants will learn how to complete a Property-to-Property (P2P) transfer and use the database features.

Topics include:

• Setting up, navigating and using the NLIS database
• Completing Property-to-Property (P2P) transfers on the NLIS database.

Book your free tickets online at Eventbrite then select ‘NLIS Database Practical Workshop – Webinar’

For more information, or if you have trouble registering, please call (03) 5761 1647.

Numbers are limited to allow for an interactive session, so be quick to secure a spot!

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