• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Don’t cross the tick: ehrlichiosis in dogs
• Five tips for mouse control on farms
• Investing in the future of Victoria’s young farmers
• Drink Victorian: New backing for local brewers, bars
• Young Farmer Program webinar series
• Fox and wild dog bounty collections for western Victoria
• What's on?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Image credit: Peter Brown from CSIRO

When was the last time you reviewed your mice management? Here are five tips for mouse control on farms from the Grains Research and Development Corporation to ensure mice numbers remain low and don’t build up and become uncontrollable.

• Apply broad scale zinc phosphide bait: According to the label, at the prescribed rate of 1kg/ha.
• Apply bait at seeding or within 24 hours: While seed is still covered by soil increasing the likelihood of mice taking the bait, prior to finding the seed. Rebait through the season as needed.
• Timing is critical: Delays of 4-5 days in baiting after seeding can give mice time to find crop seed. High populations can cause up to 5% damage each night.
• Monitor paddocks: Check paddocks regularly.
• After harvest and prior to sowing – minimise sources of food and shelter: Control weeds and volunteer crops along fence lines, clean up residual grain by grazing or rolling stubbles.

More information is available on the Agriculture Victoria website. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Acceptable entire fox scalps and entire wild dog body parts will be collected from eligible members of the public at specific dates and times, and from sites scheduled as collection centres.

Please note that no entire-fox scalps or entire wild dog body parts will be accepted at any public counter or state government office.

Collections will only be accepted at the designated times.

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

Go online to find out more or call the Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

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.

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!

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

Date: Thursday 6 May

Time: 12 - 1 pm

Cost: FREE

Register here.

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

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

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

Presenters

John Clarke, Research Team Leader, CSIRO

Michael Grose, Research Scientist, CSIRO

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

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

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