In this edition

• Bird owners urged to remain vigilant
• Don’t fluke it, drench strategically
• Rural Financial Counselling Service
• Shifting gears for National Farm Safety Week
• Avoiding the full force of cold weather on cows
• Grants to help bring the agricultural show season to life
• Attention northeast young and new farmers, are you ready to start Farming Smarter…not harder?
• Choosing the best feed this winter
• What does your FOO look like?
• Landowners and Renewable Energy Developments: what you need to know webinar recording
• AgVic Talk podcast – Episode 10
• Fox and wild dog bounty
• In case you missed it
• What's on

As we continue to respond to the avian flu outbreak, we’re urging bird owners to remain vigilant. 

Look out for symptoms and report any unexplained bird deaths to the VicEmergency hotline on 1800 226 226. 

For more information, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/avianflu

Dr Jeff Cave, Agriculture Victoria Senior Veterinary Officer

Producers all know there are chemicals available to treat internal parasites such as liver fluke.

A question worth considering is when to strategically use those chemicals.

Liver fluke is an internal parasite that lives in the bile ducts of cattle, sheep and goats and has a complex life cycle that requires a snail called Lymnea tomentosa to be involved.

The snail can be identified by its characteristic cone shaped shell and the spirals of the shell which rotate in a clockwise direction. The snail occurs in swamps, drains, billabongs and irrigated pastures.

Liver fluke can be treated using chemicals known as flukicides. Flukicides should be used strategically at specific times of year to minimise pasture contamination and to effectively kill the stage of fluke present in stock, but it should be noted that withholding periods apply.

The snail cannot survive frosty conditions so consideration should be given for giving flukicides following the first frosts.

It should be remembered that liver fluke control strategies vary by region and even property to property.

Producers should talk to their veterinarian for specific recommendations. This will enable them to put in place an effective and economical fluke control plan for their property.

For further information please contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer, or in NSW your Local Land Services.

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.

The Victorian Government is putting workplace safety for agriculture workers first this National Farm Safety Week, with funding to provide free access to educational resources, aimed at equipping young people with farm safety knowledge.

Acting Minister for Agriculture Steve Dimopoulos recently announced a $100,000 grant to the National Centre for Farmer Health to support the delivery of farm safety education in schools, teaching young people about the risks they are exposed to when visiting, living and working on farms.

Agriculture makes up two per cent of Victoria’s workforce while having 14 per cent of workplace fatalities. In 2022/23 young people aged 15 to 19 comprised 6.3 per cent of total workplace injuries and 13.3 per cent of non-work related injuries on farms.

The ‘Shifting Gears’ teaching resource will provide educators with materials to facilitate meaningful discussions about farm safety within their classrooms.

The resources have been funded through the Farming Safe and Well program and will be available for use from January 2025.

This initiative aligns with the theme of this year’s National Farm Safety Week theme, ‘In Safe Hands’, which emphasises the importance of keeping our farmers and their families safe.

Throughout farm safety week, Farmsafe Australia will share practical safety tips from farmers to increase the safety of everyday tasks and foster a more safety focused farming culture.

The government’s investment in ‘Shifting Gears’ follows the $900,000 provided to the National Centre for Farmer Health in the Victorian Budget 2024/25 for the delivery of agriculture-focused health and medical services, research, and education which will lead to direct benefits for farmers and their communities.

For more resources to support safety, health and wellbeing on farms, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au.

With a winter blast forecast for eastern Victoria, reducing the impacts of cold weather on cattle is essential to both animal production and welfare.

During cold weather, the energy requirements of a cow can increase by up to 20%, with lighter cows being more affected than those in adequate condition.

Agriculture Victoria Livestock Industry Development Officer Nick Linden said the impact of cold weather, particularly when combined with wet and windy conditions and low pasture availability, can severely affect cows that are already low in body condition.

‘It is important to keep an eye on the forecast weather conditions and if possible, move cattle into sheltered paddocks or those with windbreaks. This will reduce the impacts of chill by keeping animals out of the wind and give a better return on supplementary feeding.

‘Poorer condition cows have a higher maintenance requirement through winter as they have to work harder to stay warm,’ Mr Linden said.

‘Separating the lighter condition cows will enable producers to better manage these in-need cows with a specific feed and supplement plan and reduce competition for feed.

‘Lighter cows will suffer more from cold stress than fatter cows - fat is an excellent source of insulation as well as being an important energy reserve.  We really need to look out for the lighter cows.’

Lighter cows can also result in weaker calves being born in the spring, poor joining rates for autumn calvers or cow mortality.

Mr Linden said hungry cows can be cold cows and cattle will eat more in cold weather to generate body heat. Roughages like hay are broken down by microbial action, and this process generates heat. In addition to roughage, it’s important to keep an eye on the protein and energy levels of the diet.

‘While consuming roughages will help the cattle to stay warm, it is important to ensure adequate protein in the diet to feed the rumen bacteria.

‘Without the rumen bacteria being well fed, cattle will struggle to consume the roughages needed to generate heat and stay productive.

‘Managing lighter condition cows separately, using sheltered areas of the farm, knowing the energy and protein of the supplements being fed and monitoring fat scores of stock through winter are all important ways to minimise the impacts of cold weather on your stock, especially for animals in lighter condition as a result of the late autumn break experienced in many parts of the state.’

For more information visit:

Wintering Cattle? Tips to Keep Them Warm

Preventing Cold Stress in Cattle: Importance of Adequate Herd Nutrition

Victorian agricultural and pastoral societies looking to improve their infrastructure or boost awareness and involvement in regional shows will get more support from the Victorian Government.

Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence recently announced the $300,000 Agricultural and Pastoral Society Grants Program is open to applications ahead of the 2024/25 show season.

The program aims to support Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in projects that help stimulate community involvement in activities that promote agriculture.

Eligible organisations can apply for grants of up to $10,000 for infrastructure development and other business activities to celebrate Victoria’s agricultural communities, industry 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.

Previous projects funded under the program include new animal yards, fencing, shade covers and lighting or upgrades to shearing pavilions, luncheon halls, public amenities and viewing stands.

In previous rounds the Sale and District Agriculture Society received a grant of $10,000 to replace aged and damaged horse yards with 66 safer and more robust horse yards.

The project also included replacing existing weathered and unsafe wooden fence in the cattle show area with new durable treated pine and galvanised steel panels.

The Port Fairy Agricultural Show received a grant worth more than $7,000 to purchase portable picket fencing to provide safety for the show exhibits and families with small children eager to interact with the animals.

Applications close on 23 August.

To learn more about the Agricultural and Pastoral Society Grants Program or to apply today, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au

Attention northeast young and new farmers, are you ready to start Farming Smarter…not harder?

The Farming Smarter program is delivered over three months starting with an individual on-farm assessment followed by skill-building workshops, personalised coaching sessions and a grand finale showcasing your progress and success.

Dr Kristy Howard is the program trainer. Kristy was raised on a farm in Victoria and has 28 years’ experience working with sheep and beef farmers to help make their farms more profitable, sustainable and enjoyable. #FutureDroughtFund #FarmBusinessResilience 

Register now at Farming Smarter 2024 or contact Kristy on 0400 282 222 or at kristy@inspiringexcellence.com.au

When choosing the best feed to purchase for sheep or cattle, there are a few things to take into account – especially when feeding over winter.

What to feed In this short video, Livestock Officer Nick Linden looks at the key considerations in choosing supplements for stock by calculating their requirements and the energy density of feed against its cost. Watch it here

Costing out your feeds 

Am I better off feeding grain or hay? Plus, what is the cost? In this video, Livestock Officer Nick Linden looks at the calculations to use to make sure what you’re feeding to your animals is the most cost-effective option. Watch it here

With current seasonal conditions green feed may be limiting and assessing the value of pasture can be difficult.

Find out how to measure your Feed on Offer (FOO).

Use the FOO assessment guide and the AWI FOO library to help you estimate and assess what you have on offer.

More resources to assist in assessing pastures are available on Agriculture Victoria’s Feeding Livestock website.

The recording of the Landowners and Renewable Energy Developments: what you need to know webinar is now available.

The purpose of the webinar was to provide reliable information about the renewable energy transition and the processes involved with renewable energy developments.

In Hume and Loddon Mallee regions landowners in suitable areas are being contacted by developers exploring potential locations for solar farms, wind farms or battery storge systems for connection to the electricity grid.

The 90 minute webinar featured presentations from the following organisations:

• Energy transition – VicGrid (DEECA)
• Farmers role in the energy transition – Farmers for Climate Action 
• Best practice from developers - Clean Energy Council
• Landowner rights and avenues for complaints – Office of the Australian Energy Infrastructure   Commissioner
• Farmer experience - a local farmer who leases land for a solar farm
• Planning and approvals process – Department of Transport and Planning.

The recording, transcript, slides and list of resources are now available on Agriculture Victoria’s Energy Smart Farming website.

Jacob Pearce has been in a decade-long battle with weeds, some of which pose a biosecurity risk. 

He now has the upper hand on his 260-acre property west of Melbourne. To share what he's learnt he joined us for this episode of Biosecurity Basics.

Listen via the AgVic website.

Victoria’s bounty collections resumed on 4 March 2024.

Please continue to check our website for the latest information, collection centres and dates. CLICK HERE

For any assistance, please speak to our bounty collection staff on collection days or call our Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

Exciting opportunity for Towong and Indigo Shire young farmers

If you are a young farmer or new to farming in the Towong or Indigo Shire areas, then this opportunity could be for you.

Read the full media release here

Repeat offender pleads guilty to aggravated cruelty to livestock

At Kerang Magistrates’ Court, farmer Bruce Cook pleaded guilty to 3 charges of aggravated cruelty and one of breaching an adjourned undertaking imposed in 2021.

Read the full media release 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.

Land management, sacrifice paddocks and stock containment areas – Dry season winter webinar series

Agriculture Victoria is running a series of lunchtime webinars to help farmers manage the dry conditions. The sessions will run for about an hour, with a chance to answer some questions at the end. This is the final session in the webinar series.

When: Wednesday, 24 July, 12.30 – 1.30 pm

Register HERE

Join Agriculture Victoria’s Clem Sturmfels for a session about land management, sacrifice paddocks and stock containment areas.

Webinars will be recorded.

Learn how to best use an animal health plan, an important tool for farmers to increase performance and minimise biosecurity risks. 

Hear from Dr Hannah Manning in this free interactive workshop where you will identify local health issues and learn about their prevention and treatment solutions when creating an animal health plan for your flock.

When: Wednesday 24 July, 10 am – 2 pm

Where: Navarre Football Club.

Register here.

The upcoming Irrigation Insights Conference, scheduled for Wednesday, 24 July, and Thursday, 25 July, at the Rich River Golf Club in Moama.

The conference is a collaboration between dairy, grains and cotton with the aim of providing information for profitable and sustainable farm business. Our program features sessions covering the latest research, technological advancements, and sustainable practices.

Conference highlights:

• Exploring marketing and consumer trends - Ron Storey, Storey Marketing
• New technology in weed control - Michael Walsh, Gulbali Institute for Agriculture, Water and Environment, Charles Sturt University
• Latest advances in nitrogen fertiliser - Helen Suter School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne.
• Over the gate - practices and innovation driving on farm productivity Panel - hear what other farmers are implementing to ensure productive sustainable businesses into the future.
• Grain, forage and fodder - mitigating risk of summer crop options (cotton, maize, sorghum) - Kieran O’Keefe Regional Extension Officer, CottonInfo and Yvette Williams, Research and Innovation Coordinator Murray Dairy
• Seeds of hope: The Aussie Hay Runners' Journey - Peter Wuthrich Aussie Hay Runners.

The Gala Dinner on the evening of Wednesday 24 July, will commemorate our 25 years of the Irrigation Farmers Network achievements in RD&E. Featuring Renee Anderson, farmer and ag industry advocate as our special guest speaker.

For more information, please click here.

Book tickets now.

Are you a young farmer in the horticulture sector that’s looking to upskill?

Agriculture Victoria is running a horticulture business bootcamp that aims to support the next generation of growers, business owners and managers to improve their skills and management practices.

When: 30 – 31 July

Where 12 Kelso Street, Coldstream

The bootcamp will be delivered by Agriculture Victoria and ION Group, covering the following topics:

• Day 1: Farm business performance and profitable decision making
• Day 2: Risk, resilience and adapting to change
• Online session: Natural resource management
• A free one-on-one session with a consultant is offered to participants that attend both the workshop and online session!

The two day workshop will run July 30 and 31, followed by an online session August 5.

The bootcamp is free to all participants.

Register HERE

Looking after your well-being and connecting with others is important in challenging times.

This fun, practical Take a Well-Being Break workshop brings farmers, farming families/couples in your community together to provide well-being tools and information, connect and share ideas, and to identify strategies you can immediately implement to positively impact your well-being.

Join us for an evening workshop on Wednesday 7 August from 6 - 9 pm at Dimboola Bowling Club.

Tickets are $10 with all proceeds being donated to the Rural Outreach Centre.

A light supper will be provided. Please advise us of any special dietary requirements. This is an alcohol-free event.

Date: Wednesday, 7 August from 6 - 9 pm 
Location: Dimboola Bowling Club, 51 Lloyd St, Dimboola

Register here for Take a well-being break workshop at Dimboola.

The workshop is funded by the Farm Business Resilience Program, which is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund & the Victorian Government’s Future Agriculture Skills Capacity Fund. It's supported by Wimmera Women Connect, Birchip Cropping Group, Hindmarsh Shire & Wimmera Southern Mallee Development.

The Southern Australia Livestock Research Council (SALRC) is excited to announce their third biennial Livestock Conference with the overarching theme of Environmental challenges and opportunities for Australian livestock industries.

Sessions will include keynote speakers and group workshop activities and cover the following:

• improving land, air and water
• solutions for human capacity
• economic considerations and market impacts.

Click here for more information about the upcoming conference.

If you would like to register for conference updates you can join the mailing list here.

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