In this edition

• Help our high country – report invasive hawkweed
• Investing in the future of our rising farming leaders
• The Very Fast Break videos – latest is now available
• Grants up to $1 million to support businesses development and create jobs 
• Fruit Growers Victoria horticulture safety videos now available
• Rural Financial Counselling Service
• Bee business training video now available
• Fatigue on the farm
• Apply for new Future Drought Fund grants to support Aussie farmers
• In case you missed it (ICYMI)
• Dry seasons webinar recordings available here
• What's on

This spring, enjoy our high country while helping to preserve its beauty and biodiversity.

While bushwalking, mountain biking or hiking, we encourage you to report invasive hawkweed and help protect our environment and agriculture.

Hawkweed poses a significant threat to our local ecosystems, spreading quickly and releasing chemicals that prevent other plants from growing.

This is why you must report it immediately if you see it.

What to look for

All hawkweeds have hairy leaves and stems. Leaves form a low growing rosette.

King devil hawkweed (Hieracium praealtum or Pilosella piloselloides)

• yellow flowers with square-ended petals
• clusters of up to 25 flower heads per stem.

Mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella or Pilosella officinarum)

• yellow flower with square-ended petals
• solitary flower on each stem.

Orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum or Pilosella aurantiaca)

• bright orange flowers with square-ended petals
• clusters of 5 to 30 flower heads per stem.

Know exactly what you’re looking for and check out our identification video and 3D model of Orange hawkweed before heading out.

Beware of look-alikes

When identifying hawkweed, be aware of similar-looking plants that are often mistaken for hawkweed, like common dandelion and native yam daisy which are hairless and have a single flower per stalk.

Knowing your hawkweed means timely and targeted intervention, but even if in doubt it is better to still report.

What to do

If you think you have seen hawkweed:

• call Agriculture Victoria on 136 186
• email weed.spotters@agriculture.vic.gov.au
• report online agriculture.vic.gov.au/hawkweed.

Victoria’s brightest young farming leaders will be supported to invest in their future and explore new learning opportunities while being backed by the Victorian Government to build the future of agriculture in Victoria.

Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence recently presented 16 recipients with their scholarship certificates for this year’s Young Farmers Upskill and Invest Scholarships at Parliament House.

Each scholarship will receive up to $5,000 to pursue new learning opportunities and a further $5,000 in putting their new skills into practice.

Successful applicants will receive training to build their knowledge and expertise in areas such as irrigation, agronomy, conservation and land management, as well as core business skills in areas including accounting, human resources and marketing.

Once they have completed their studies, applicants can invest in modern technology and equipment, on-farm strategies and planning, and their own professional development to kickstart their career as a farmer.

Anurag Bhangu, a beekeeper from Gippsland, is committed to enhancing his skills by completing a workshop on artificial insemination of queen bees, as well as a bee breeding course.

He will also invest in a queen bee artificial insemination kit.

This will enable him to selectively breed queen bees that are better suited to the region’s cooler climate and more resistant to Varroa mite.

Amy Byrne helps manage a mixed-farming enterprise in north-east Victoria.

She will upskill by completing the lifetime ewe management course and seek the support of a consultant to support her to invest in electronic identification equipment.

Since 2015, the government has awarded 133 Young Farmers Upskill and Invest scholarships to students that demonstrated drive and innovation.

Many of the previous recipients have gone on to play a vital role in industry leadership positions such as the Victorian Young Farmers Advisory Council.

The council represents the views of young farmers and provides advice to government to help grow a sustainable and profitable agriculture sector.

For more information on the young farmer programs visit agriculture.vic.gov.au.

The Very Fast Break videos – latest is now available

The Very Fast Break is delivered monthly as short YouTube videos summarising oceanic and atmospheric climate drivers and the summarised model predictions for rainfall and temperature for Victoria.

View the latest here

Dahlsen’s Steel Truss and Frame at Newmerella, a joint venture between Dahlsens and Built QA. They received a $500,000 grant in Round 1 of the Forestry Transition Fund grants program.

The Forestry Transition Fund aims to support business development and the creation of jobs across all industry sectors in towns or communities affected by the end of native timber harvesting. 

Following the successful delivery of round 1 of the Forestry Transition Fund grants program, round 2 is now open with grants between $10,000 and $1 million available to eligible businesses and industry groups to expand, diversify or start new businesses. 

Successful grant applicants may also be eligible for a Transitioning Timber Worker Employment Incentive Payment of up to $20,000 per ex-native timber worker the project employs. 

Applications will be accepted from business and industry groups, including chambers of commerce and associations, peak bodies and business networks, as well as councils and incorporated not-for-profit organisations that act as a business  

Expressions of Interest are now open, and applications close at 5 pm on 31 October 2025. 

For more information and to view the guidelines visit the Forestry Transition Fund or call 1800 318 182. 

Looking for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) safety resources for your horticulture farm? 

This farm safe and well video from Fruit Growers Vic is for all horticulture workers, and available in 9 languages.

Keep an eye out for more safety videos from Fruit Growers Vic coming soon. 

Keep yourself, your family, and your workers safe and well – know how to manage the risks. 

See Fruit Growers Vic safety videos here.

The Rural Financial Counselling Service provides a free and confidential financial counselling service to eligible farmers and small related enterprises who are experiencing, or at risk of, financial hardship.

They can help you to access available support, analyse your business situation, negotiate with lenders and develop strategies to improve your financial position.

To find your closest service click here or call 1300 771 741.

‘We love beekeeping. We always think about bees... But we sometimes don’t think about business.’

Beekeeper Matt Lorenz signed up to our Farm Business Resilience Program to learn more about being a resilient business in a changing environment.

In this video, Matt talks about how the program showed him what he does really well as a beekeeper but importantly, what he can improve on to be prepared for potential business shocks.

Find out more about our Farm Business Resilience Program here.

Watch the video here.

Fatigue isn't the same as being sleepy or drowsy. It’s about pushing our bodies beyond their mental and physical limits day after day, with no time to recover.

Watch the video of farmer Simon Craig. Simon Craig - Fatigue (youtube.com) and get tips to manage fatigue on your farm.

You can learn more about managing fatigue at the WorkSafe website Fatigue on the farm | WorkSafe Victoria

The Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund is looking for eligible Australian organisations to apply for 2 new grant programs.

These programs will trial innovative solutions with the potential to build the agriculture sector, landscapes and communities’ long-term resilience to drought and climate risks, through transformational change.

Both grant rounds are open to agricultural industries in Australia and will be delivered over 6 years.

Applicants must form consortia, that is 2 or more organisations working together to develop and deliver an eligible project.

Applications close on 19 November 2024.

To learn more about the grants and apply, visit: Resilient Landscapes Grants Program - DAFF and Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Grants - DAFF

Avian influenza Control Area Orders updated

Agriculture Victoria has lifted the Control Area Order for Terang that was put in place for the current H7 avian influenza outbreak.

Read the full media release here.

Caring for your stock in dry seasonal conditions

One way to help manage your stock during dry seasonal conditions is with the use of a stock containment area (SCA).

Read the full media release here.

Webinar recording: Are you pinkeye ready?

Hear from pinkeye researcher Mac Kneipp about the current understanding of pinkeye, key preventative strategies and optimising treatment outcomes.

Watch the recording here.

The recording of the recent webinar ‘Growing more feed’ with Agriculture Victoria Livestock Extension Officer Fiona Baker - can be found HERE

Additionally, here are some resources that you might find useful. 

Feeding livestock website feedinglivestock.vic.gov.au

Agriculture Victoria dry season and drought support page  Dry seasons and drought support | Farm management | Agriculture Victoria

Soil Moisture monitoring sites can be found HERE

Information on navigating farm developments online tool can be found HERE

An MLA guide to managing breeding ewes in containment can be found HERE

Stock containment areas design webinar can be found HERE

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.

This 5-day practical shearing course is for new entrant shearers to learn the skills required to be a professional shearer.

This training is intended for those already working in industry and have experience in shearing.

Limited spots available, please register your interest for the course.

Fully funded by AWI and available for participants that meet certain criteria, please register your interest for the course.

If you are interested in attending any of the above courses, please contact ghaynes@swti.edu.au

Regional Victoria’s showcase on AI in industry 

Learn how AI and the latest cutting-edge technologies can help transform and revolutionise your business. 

Join us at Regional Development Australia Melbourne’s (RDAM) upcoming Artificial Intelligence Forum, to be held in Bendigo on 15 November. 

This forum will highlight the importance of understanding and harnessing these innovative technology solutions, their benefits and practical applications in business, as well as address concerns surrounding risk, compliance, and legislation of AI in industry.  

For early adopters of AI or for businesses starting to explore the space, the forum will inform, showcase, and inspire. 

Showcasing demonstrations of real-world adoption of AI and digital innovation, we will talk to and hear insights from industry leaders and businesses driving productivity and innovation through the integration of AI.   

With keynotes, panel discussion and collaborative conversation, this will be a platform to connect and explore the array of opportunities in AI businesses are undertaking in regional areas and beyond. 

Speakers include:

Simon Wilson, CEO Founder of Australian Regional AI Network and CEO of RegGrid

Jannat Maqbool, Manager of Industry Programs at ARM AI Adopt Centre. Jannat has 25 years of experience in IoT and smart cities, financial services innovation, digital engineering, and AI, across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, and is actively engaged in the technology ecosystem.

Case study presenters/demonstrators include:

• Stef Cola, Director of Engineering at CultureAmp, and founder of Ligantic  (Innovative chat tool powered by AI)
• Briana Cowan, founder of Mingle Media, runs workshops on leveraging AI to boost productivity in business
• Edward Barraclough, founder of Drone-Hand, autonomous livestock and total property monitoring.

For more information or for tickets click here

Business EDGE is a two-day workshop designed to enhance producer knowledge and skills in basic financial and business management to improve business efficiency and profitability.

Attending this Benalla workshop will help you to:

• develop your financial knowledge and business understanding
• understand where your business is performing well and where it can be improved
• better understand how your decisions impact the bottom line of your business
• determine if your business can fund future growth, debt reduction, retirement and succession
• ensure everyone in your business is on the same page
• join a group of like-minded producers and equip yourself to improve your business skills.

Presenters - Paul Blackshaw and Bryony Fitzgerald, farm business consultants at Meridian Agriculture, a broad-based agricultural consultancy focused on improving farm business performance.

When: Wednesday and Thursday, 20 - 21 November, from 8:30 am to 5 pm both days.

Where: Benalla, location when you register.

Cost - $262.50*pp + GST (usually $1,750pp + GST).

*Discounted prices are possible thanks to support from Agriculture Victoria’s Farm Business Resilience program funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

Cost includes a comprehensive set of workshop notes, workbook, decision support spreadsheet tools and catering.

Register now for Business EDGE

Places are limited. For more information contact Meridian Agriculture (03) 5341 6100 or at info@meridian-ag.com.au

Join Neil James and Clem Sturmfels Agriculture Victoria Land Management Officers for breakfast and a discussion about managing farm dams in a difficult season.

TOPICS:

• Rainfall and runoff update
• Dam volume calculations
• How long will my water last?
• Management strategies.

BRING - Outdoor event; suitable clothing required, bring a chair

Wednesday 20 November, 8 to10 am

Navarre Recreation Reserve
47 Cambridge Street, Navarre 

Register here

GRDC Grains Research Update, online – Strategies for Predicta B testing

20 November
1 – 1:45 pm

For more information or to register to any of these events click here

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