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Thursday 31 July 2025
Feed budgets, help is available
Help is available to develop feed budgets or assist with livestock feeding decisions – vital for maintaining the health of livestock while pastures start to recover following recent rain.
Any Victorian farmer can get help with feed budgeting by booking a one-on-one session with a specialist from our panel of farm advisors at https://go.vic.gov.au/452dHXb.
For practical tools and resources visit Agriculture Victoria’s Feeding Livestock website www.feedinglivestock.vic.gov.au or call 136 186.
One-on-one farm advisory service
All farmers, anywhere in Victoria, can register for a free consultation with a farm management specialist.
The advisory service offers a session of up to 3 hours (face-to-face or online) and a follow-up call, to help farmers take stock and develop a plan for managing drought conditions.
The advice is suited to your situation, from a consultant that you nominate from the registered panel.
Agronomists, livestock nutritionists, veterinarians, pasture and grazing specialists and farm business advisors, can support you with:
- feed and water budgeting
- farm safety and workload management
- farm business and financial management
- soil health and pasture re-establishment
- animal health and welfare, and more.
For more information about drought support: www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/drought or call 136 186.
Farm Drought Support Grants
The Victorian Government is providing practical support to farmers impacted by drought.
The Farm Drought Support Grants (formerly On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Grants) program is available to assist primary production businesses to implement on-farm infrastructure improvements and undertake essential business activities that improve drought.
Eligible farmers will receive up to $5,000 (ex-GST) as a co-contribution grant that will support activities including water infrastructure upgrades (such as pipes, tanks, troughs and dams), stock containment areas, and grain and fodder storage.
See the program guidelines for the full list of eligible activities.
For eligible farmers in south west Victoria, an additional $5,000 (ex-GST) top-up is available through the grant program, taking the total grant on offer up to $10,000 (ex-GST).
Backing the heart of agriculture through grants
Victorian agricultural and pastoral societies will receive greater support from the Victorian Government to upgrade infrastructure and participate in regional shows.
Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence recently announced the opening of applications for this year’s Agricultural and Pastoral Society Grants Program, helping organisations with projects that encourage community involvement and promote Victoria’s rich agriculture industry.
The grants provide successful applicants with up to $10,000 to support infrastructure development and upgrades to celebrate Victoria’s agricultural communities, industries and produce.
The grants can be used to upgrade or establish new facilities, enhance public amenities, improve essential infrastructure, improve business management activities, biosecurity planning and promote reporting of livestock movements.
In previous rounds, the Rochester Agricultural Society received a grant worth $8,100 to purchase cattle fencing panels, and Wodonga Show Society Incorporated upgraded its amenities block at the local showgrounds with a $9,977 grant.
Agricultural and Pastoral Societies are community groups with a shared interest in agriculture, horticulture or livestock.
These groups can be found across rural and regional areas, dedicating their time to a wide range of roles in their communities, such as hosting events and fundraisers to support local priorities and agricultural activities.
With over 100 societies across the state, the grant program plays a significant role in regional Victoria’s vibrant calendar of events – building community spirit by celebrating agriculture in a fun, entertaining, educational and inclusive environment.
Applications for the latest round of grants close 12 September 2025.
Sheepvention – Women in Agriculture lunch
Sheepvention will be hosting the first Women in Agriculture luncheon this year with the help of Agriculture Victoria.
A chance to connect with likeminded women who champion rural resilience and community, Agriculture Victoria is organising an impressive panel of women in agriculture to tell their stories.
Sharing insights on leadership, innovation and the future of women in agriculture, the panel will consist of:
- Georgina Gubbins, Warrnambool cattle and sheep producer, founding member and chair of Food and Fibre Great South Coast.
- Esmee de Looff, Agribusiness Consultant from Pinion Advisory.
- Bec Cruise, Carwarp cattle and sheep producer, Producer Demonstration Site member.
Attendees can engage with the panel discussion while enjoying a delicious two-course plated meal by The Speckled Frog, and a refreshing mocktail crafted by Noodledoof Brewing and Distilling Co.
Agriculture Victoria staff will be there to offer information and resources for drought from our stall in the Innovation Hub across the 2-day event.
Sheepvention Rural Expo has been a leading event in the Australian sheep industry since 1979.
Held over 2 days at the showgrounds in Hamilton, it brings together agribusiness, machinery, livestock and professional services in the heart of Australia’s pastoral region.
The Gippsland Soil School
The Gippsland Soil School is a new, region-wide farmer education initiative co-led by Gippsland Agricultural Group (GAgG) and the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, designed to break down the silos between different soil management approaches. Drawing on the best of conventional, regenerative, precision, and biological soil management systems to equip our farmer to manage soil better in their unique farming and soil systems.
The Gippsland Soil School is delivered in 8 modules across 4 x 2-day training blocks over 12 months. The program includes practical, paddock-based learning, interactive workshops, and expert guest speakers.
Topics include:
- Soils 101 – Geology, Soil Types, Maps and Classification
- Soils 101 – Physics and Chemistry Foundations
- Soil Biology 101 – Soil Life and Nutrient Cycling
- Soil and Plant Tissue Test Interpretation
- Inputs – Granular, Foliar, Compost, Manures and Biofertilisers
- Livestock, Grazing, Plant Diversity and Biofertilisers
- Soil Carbon – Science vs Hype, Fact and Fiction
- Measuring What Matters – Linking Soil Health with Financials and Wellbeing
Benchmarking to help growers better manage urea
Important research to help grain growers use nitrogen more efficiently is underway at Agriculture Victoria’s Horsham SmartFarm.
Agriculture Victoria research scientist Kamal Adhikari said dryland cropping farmers commonly top dress urea as a nitrogen (N) fertiliser on their paddocks in anticipation of forecast rain.
‘Urea represents one of a farmers’ single largest variable cost inputs,’ Dr Adhikari said.
‘Getting it right has major implications for on-farm profitability. The downside of urea fertiliser is that much of its benefit for a crop can be permanently lost in a process known as volatilisation.
‘Volatilisation is where ammonia (NH3) gas is released from urea granules to the atmosphere.
‘Losing nitrogen through volatilisation doesn’t just have an economic impact on yields and profitability, it also affects the environment via greenhouse gas emissions,’ he said.
Using the dynamic chamber method, Dr Adhikari hopes to assess ammonia losses. He has previously used this method in New Zealand to measure NH3 volatilisation of intensive dairy pasture systems and can see its potential for Australian dryland cropping systems.
He believes it has several advantages over other ‘standard’ micrometeorological methods such as alpha samplers.
‘The dynamic chamber method only requires a small area to operate, so we can set up multiple plots with different conditions to study at the same time,’ he said.
Dr Adhikari said although the primary aim of the study is to benchmark this new method against alpha samplers, it is already collecting data that may be useful to growers.
‘Recently, we top dressed a paddock with urea in anticipation of a large rain front but we only received a fraction of the forecast rain,’ he said.
‘The urea granules had dissolved, but not enough to wash this urea into the soil where it could be used by the wheat.
‘We suspect that some has been lost to volatilisation but by the end of this study, we will know exactly how much of the N was actually lost.’
Dr Adhikari hopes the research will lead to the creation of a decision support tool for growers to help understand the impact of urea top dressing, depending on how much rain is expected, when it’s likely to fall and soil conditions.
More information on Agriculture Victoria SmartFarms and research is available at www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/research
Welcome to season 10 of Ag Vic Talk
AgVic Talk season 10
Embracing Diversity, Ensuring Safety with Catherine Velisha and Vy Pham
In this Farming Safe and Well episode, we hear from Catherine Velisha, Managing Director and Vy Pham, Production Manager at Velisha Farms about the world of cultural safety in the workplace.
Discover how Catherine and Vy are embracing diversity and ensuring safety for their multicultural workforce.
🎧 Listen now and learn how to create a workplace where everyone can thrive.
Popular irrigation incentive program set to benefit even more Gippsland farmers
West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority and Agriculture Victoria are pleased to open a new round of farm plan incentives, and for the first time, farmers in Warragul, Thorpdale, Noojee and Perry Bridge and across the entire Lake Wellington Catchment are eligible to apply.
Up to $10,000 per farm is available through the Lake Wellington Irrigation Efficiency Incentive Program to help with the cost of a professionally designed irrigation plan.
In case you missed it
What's On
Preparing for Serpentine Leafminer
With recent detections of Liriomyza huidobrensis east of Melbourne, Agriculture Victoria, VegNet and AUSVEG are partnering to hold grower information sessions. Two short workshops will be held on managing Serpentine leaf miner in vegetable crops covering:
- pest identification
- lifecycles
- best practice controls
- plant impacts
- chemical control options
Agriculture Victoria entomologist, Antonette Walford and AUSVEG Biosecurity Coordinator, Shakira Johnson, will be in attendance to talk with growers.
When: Tuesday 5 August, 10 - 11 am
Where: Mercure Pakenham, 77 Racecourse Road, Pakenham.
When: Wednesday 6 August, 10 - 11 am
Where: Lindenow Pub, 167 Main Road, Lindenow.
Omeo – Winning with weaners
About this free workshop:
- Learn about the short, medium and long term impacts of poor weaner management on flock productivity
- Develop a weaner management plan for your weaners, including setting a target weaning weight, target weights at key times, and feeding options.
- This practical workshop will help you identify key management strategies that will assist you in improving the performance of your Merino weaners, thereby optimising their performance in your flock for their lifetime.
Tuesday, 12 August, from 9:30 am to 3 pm at Omeo Recreation Reserve, Park Street, Omeo.
Morning tea, lunch and workshop materials will be provided.
To find out more or to register your interest, contact Keren Walker on 0477 706 384 or at keren.walker@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Dry season – preparing for spring and summer – Buffalo
With low rainfall, and minimal hay and silage stocks, we need to ensure we have the knowledge and confidence to manage a potentially dry spring and summer.
18 August, 9:45 am to 2:30 pm at Buffalo Community Centre, Hall Road, Buffalo
Presenters include:
- Dale Grey (the Fast Break) - weather outlook and what we can expect in the next few months
- Fiona Baker - setting ourselves up for spring, and summer, water requirements, and maximising our potential growth leading into our peak growing season
- James Paulet – will talk about the 6 new soil moisture probes and weather stations located in West and South Gippsland and using this data to make informed decisions
- Farmers Chris Nixon (Beef and dairy - Orbost, and Trevor Caithness (beef and cropping – Goon Nure) will talk about strategies they implemented to get through the 3-year drought in East Gippsland and what worked and what didn’t, and what they would do better next time.
After lunch we will visit Ross Batten and Madeline and Bernard Buckley’s farm and discuss strategies they are implementing in preparation for a potentially dry spring and summer.
Decisions that drive drought recovery – Meeniyan
When: Wednesday, 27 August, 9 am - 3:30 pm
Where: Meeniyan Community Hub, 95 Whitelaw Street, Meeniyan
A powerful and practical 1-day workshop on how to build resilience, navigate crisis and adapt to change.
Feel confident and equipped to make the decisions necessary to navigate your farm business through the current seasonal crisis/challenges by:
- learning how to navigate competing priorities for limited resources (family, farm and business)
- identifying key resource issues, stressors, risks and opportunities for your farm business
- learning improved decision-making skills and how to manage key priorities – especially when under pressure and stress
- learning skills to rebuild capacity after battling personal/health and business challenges
- connecting to networks that support recovery and resilience.
Morning tea and a light lunch provided.
Dry season – preparing for spring and summer – Neerim
28 August, 9:45 am to 2:30 pm at Neerim South Football Clubrooms,15 Neerim E Road, Neerim South
With low rainfall, and minimal hay and silage stocks, we need to ensure we have the knowledge and confidence to manage a potentially dry spring and summer.
Presenters include;
- Dale Grey (the Fast Break) - weather outlook and what we can expect in the next few months.
- Fiona Baker - setting ourselves up for spring, and summer, water requirements, and maximising our potential growth leading into our peak growing season
- James Paulet – will talk about the 6 new soil moisture probes and weather stations located in West and South Gippsland and using this data to make informed decisions.
- Farmers Chris Nixon (Beef & Dairy - Orbost, and Trevor Caithness (beef & cropping – Goon Nure) will talk about strategies they implemented to get through the 3-year drought in East Gippsland & what worked & what didn’t, and what they would do better next time.
After lunch we will visit a local dairy farm, and discuss strategies they are implementing in preparation for a potential dry spring and summer.
CFOP workshop and farm walk – Bass Coast
Join us for this informative Bass Coast Carbon Farming Outreach Program (CFOP) workshop and farm walk.
29 August, 10 am to 1:30 pm at Archies Creek (address provided after registration)
This event will be hosted at the Archies Creek property of Ric Oldham, who has developed a CFOP action plan, and will be supported by expert CFOP presenter Nick Dudley.
Nick has over 15 years of experience in carbon farming and will be speaking on the following topics:
- Fundamentals of carbon farming
- Tracking and calculating your farm emissions
- Estimating your farm’s carbon footprint
- Using carbon accounting tools including a greenhouse accounting framework and LOOC–C
- Introduction to developing an on-farm emissions action plan
- Showcasing Ric Oldham’s case study action plan.
Host farmer Ric Oldham will also provide insights into the development of his action plan and showcase some of the works he has implemented on his property during the farm walk.
Morning tea and lunch will be provided. BYO chair and mug. Please RSVP by Monday 25 August.
Youth Agritech Jobs Expo
When: Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 September
Where: Gippsland Agriculture Centre.
Head along to the Youth Agritech Jobs Expo - showcasing the broad range of careers in agriculture.
For more information, call 0423 205 007.
Keep up to date with GippsDairy's events on their website.
Keep up to date with Gippsland Agricultural Group's events on their website.
Keep up to date with Food & Fibre Gippsland's events on their website.
Contacting Agriculture Victoria
Call 136 186 from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call (except for mobiles and public telephones).
If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service at 133 677 or visit the National Relay Service.
All contact points can be found at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us
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