• Register now for drought one-on-one advisory service
• Free financial counselling available now
• Strike before the flies do
• Apply for an On-Farm Drought Infrastructure grant today
• Use your dairy effluent now on silage regrowth
• Where will you place your livestock during an emergency?​
• Consider early weaning to save feed and water
• Local Upskill and Invest Young Farmers Scholarship recipient
• Farm Business Resilience Program - managing climate risk
• The Fast Break - out now
• In case you missed it
• What's on

Expressions of Interest are open for farmers in drought-affected areas of south west Victoria to register for a free one-on-one consultation with a farm advisor.

The technical decision-making program is being delivered as part of the Victorian Government’s $13.53 million Drought Support Package and builds on existing supports, including technical resources, workshops and field days, already available to farmers in the south west.

Interested farmers can register their expression of interest with Agriculture Victoria. Farmers can nominate which advisor they prefer to work with from a panel of experienced and trusted advisors.

The chosen service provider will then contact the farmer directly to book a suitable time for the one-on-one consultation.

Farmers can meet their advisor either on-farm, at a convenient off-farm location or online. A follow-up one-hour phone consultation, after the initial face-to-face planning session, is also available.

For more information or to register an expression of interest in the Drought Support: One-on-one technical decision-making program visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons, phone 136 186 or email drought.support@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

This program is part of the Victorian Government’s Drought Support Package for south west Victoria. Find out more at agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call 136 186.

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 visit rfcsnetwork.com.au or call 1300 771 741.

Dr Jeff Cave, Agriculture Victoria Senior Veterinary Officer

Flystrike costs the Australian sheep industry approximately $173 million annually, due to lost production, treatment costs and deaths.

Reducing the risk of flystrike has immense benefits to the health and wellbeing of the sheep and productivity.

The major fly responsible for flystrike in sheep is the green blowfly, Lucilia cuprina. Lucilia cuprina is thought to be responsible for 90% of flystrike cases.

Lucilia cuprina begins to become active when temperatures are above 15oC and is most active when temperatures are between 26 - 36oC. It prefers calm conditions.

Each female fly can have up to 300 viable offspring and, with a 21-day life cycle, when conditions are optimal, fly numbers can increase rapidly.

The fly has a small flight range, so most of the flies you see are probably produced on your own property.

The fly is attracted to odour and moisture, so the risk of flystrike increases when there is regular, consistent rainfall that keeps the sheep’s skin moist.

The sheep most susceptible to flystrike are those with breech wrinkles, long wool, dags, urine stain, fleece rot, dermatitis and/or wounds.

Plus, sheep that have been previously fly-struck have a relatively higher likelihood of being re-struck.

The prevention of flystrike requires an integrated plan and includes the following:

• selection of sheep and marking of lambs to produce a flock with a relatively low susceptibility to flystrike
• shearing and crutching timed before the peak flystrike risk period
• correct use of preventative chemicals timed to give protection during the peak flystrike risk period
• worm control and dietary management to help reduce the prevalence of dags
• selection of relatively open, windy, dry paddocks
• removal of infective material and carcasses that may attract flies.

As conditions become more favourable to flystrike, sheep should be monitored more regularly for flystrike.

If a fly-struck sheep is found, the affected area should be immediately treated by clipping close to the skin, dressed to prevent a re-strike, and the sheep should be moved to a hospital paddock to reduce the risk to the rest of the flock. 

Any maggots should be collected and killed to help reduce the build-up of fly numbers.

For further advice please contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer or visit the website flyboss.com.au.

Eligible drought-affected farmers in the south west can now apply for up to $5,000 in co-contribution grants to support establishing on-farm infrastructure such as:

• 💧 water infrastructure upgrades (pipes, tanks, troughs, dams)
• 🐑 stock containment areas
• 🌾 grain and fodder storage.

Click here for more information on the On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Grants or to apply today.

Rachael Campbell, Agriculture Victoria Dairy Industry Development Officer

As we move from late spring to summer, dairy effluent can be applied to areas with some green leaf still present after cutting for silage.

This will help to promote valuable pasture regrowth for a extra grazing and replace lost nutrients.

Dairy effluent contains many important nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

An effluent test is the best way to determine the most appropriate application rate for your farm as nutrient levels vary between farms.

Total potassium per application should be no more than 60 kg potassium per hectare and no more than 120 kg potassium per hectare per year.

Total nitrogen application should be no more than 60-80 kg nitrogen per hectare. Heavier applications increase the risk of nitrate poisoning, mineral imbalances and losses to the environment.

If a chemical analysis isn’t available, a rule of thumb is to apply liquid effluent at a rate of 1 megalitre per 4 hectares, where there is no likelihood of runoff from the property.

Restrict cattle grazing for at least 21 days after the application of effluent as this withholding period will overcome any palatability or fouling issues, reduce the risk of pathogens and allow time for the plants to respond to the nutrients.

Sludge will also need to be removed from your first pond every so often, depending on the design. This can be applied to paddocks about to be cultivated for a crop or sprayed thinly on pasture at similar times to the effluent.

Vacuum tankers can be useful for this purpose. Withholding periods tend to be longer for sludge applications than liquid effluent, and these paddocks shouldn’t be grazed until the grass has grown through the sludge layer.

Continue to conduct regular soil testing over the longer term where effluent is applied, to monitor nutrient levels and soil health.

For more information about using dairy effluent visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/dairy/managing-effluent or contact Rachael Campbell.

For more information on managing during drought visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call 136 186.

Where will you place your livestock during an emergency?​

​It’s crucial to have a refuge area/paddock or stock containment area ready for your livestock during emergencies, with adequate feed and water for their safety. ​

Use the Fire Preparedness Toolkit and web resources to start planning for stock containment areas, emergency feeding and water budgeting – available here.

Dr Hannah Manning, Livestock Industry Development Officer, Colac

Feed and water shortages are likely as we move into summer, so consider weaning your beef calves early to save on requirements.

Early weaning can help your cows maintain condition and fertility while setting up the calves to receive the nutrition they need to thrive.

Lactating cows require a large amount of energy. It’s more efficient to convert feed directly into the calf weight than milk for a cow and calf unit.

Providing the appropriate diet to a mob of dry cows and weaned calves, rather than cows with calves at foot, can significantly reduce feeding costs.

Cows making milk need up to 100 litres of water a day and those not feeding a calf require less. Although calves will drink more once weaned, the savings come from reducing the cow's requirements.

Weaning early also allows the farmer to complete a stocktake and sell or cull non-productive or aged animals.

In most cases, calves should be weaned at around 120 kg, as they will be easier to feed. The younger the weaning age of the calf, the higher its energy and protein requirements are.

Setting your calves up to succeed is very important, so exposing them to post-weaning supplements while they are still on the cow is recommended.

Post-weaning supplements should be introduced to calves slowly via creep-feeding and vaccinating 2 weeks before weaning to protect against clostridial diseases.

Avoid combining stressful procedures like castration and dehorning with early weaning.

Weaners can be difficult to manage at times, so we recommend getting their nutrition and supervision spot-on to allow the calves to thrive.

Further information about weaning beef cattle can be found on our website.

For more information about dry seasonal conditions and drought support visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or call 136 186.

Congratulations to Justin Coates, one of this year’s Upskill and Invest Young Farmers Scholarship recipients.

Justin is running a beef cattle operation on his farm in south-west Victoria - all while balancing a full-time job! 

Through the scholarship, he’s set to deepen his knowledge with a grazing course and invest in equipment to help monitor pastures, manage grazing, and assess soil health. 

Check out the full list of scholarship recipients and program details here.

As the season pans out, it’s important for farmers to be keeping up to date with seasonal forecasts.

Dale Grey, our Seasonal Risk Agronomist, talks about managing climate risk over time and the importance for farmers to pre-plan to meet the challenges of a variable climate.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Find out more about our Farm Business Resilience Program here.

Subscribe to The Break and The Very Fast Break for seasonal climate updates.

The latest The Fast Break newsletter is now available. 

This newsletter details oceanic and atmospheric climate driver activity over the last month and summarises 3-month model predictions for the Pacific and Indian oceans, rainfall and temperature for Victoria.

To subscribe or to view the latest issue click here.

Watch for heating hay!

Every hay season several hay stacks spontaneously combust across Victoria, in single moist bales or in a stack of any size.

Once the hay has been stacked it’s important to regularly monitor it for heating and act quickly.

READ THE MEDIA RELEASE IN FULL 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 MEDIA RELEASE IN FULL HERE

DAMDEEP tool impresses farmers in south west Victoria

A simple device for measuring the depth of a farm dam was introduced to landholders at a series of workshops in south west Victoria recently.

Agriculture Victoria Land Management Extension Officer, and creator of the measuring tool, Greg Bekker said the DAMDEEP device consists of a hand reel, float, beads and a sinker. It is easy to make by following the instructions in a short explainer video.

READ THE MEDIA RELEASE IN FULL 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.

Please join farmers Gary Simpson and Ali Howgate and Clem Sturmfels from Agriculture Victoria to hear first-hand about the design and installation of farm pipelines.

DATE: Monday 9 December

TIME: 10 am - 3 pm

LOCATION: On-farm, 90 Armitage Street, Dunkeld.

TOPICS:

   Preparing a water plan:

• calculating your water needs
• planning your pipeline
• pipeline hydraulics and design
• pipes, fittings and pumps
• pipeline installation and construction.

This is an outdoor event and suitable clothing is required and a chair.

For more information contact Lisa McIntyre, 0428 749 235 or advancel@bigpond.com

DATE: Tuesday 10 December

TIME: 10 am - 2 pm

LOCATION: Mortlake Soldiers Memorial Hall.

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

Looking after your well-being and connecting with others is important in challenging times and we all know that laughter is the best medicine.

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

Get off the farm and give yourself the time and space to bring some calm to the chaos and focus on you.

Lunch is provided. Tickets $20 with proceeds going to charity.

DATE: Tuesday 10 December
TIME: 12-1 pm.

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

New Food Safety Standards for growers of berries, leafy green vegetables and melons will come into effect from 12 February, 2025. 

The standards apply to businesses of any size that grow or complete primary or ‘early-stage’ processing such as washing, trimming, sorting, sanitising or storing of berries, leafy vegetables or melons.

Find out more about the New Food Safety Standards on our website

You are invited to join us as we unpack how to utilise carcase information using the MLA myFeedback tool.

DATE: Wednesday 18 December
TIME: 1 – 2 pm
WHERE: Online via Zoom.

myFeedback is an industry-first single source data program, combining the benefits of carcase and eating quality data with animal disease and defect insights in one place, enabling more accurate benchmarking of carcase performance.

Lachlan Jeffers, Meat Standards Australia, will take producers on a tour of the myFeedback program, demonstrate how the program functions and work through analysing and interpreting feedback data for both beef and sheep.

The program is designed to help producers make data-driven on-farm decisions to improve the quality and health of their livestock, in line with market requirements.

To register please click the link.

If you would like more information or experience difficulties registering, please contact Alison Desmond at Agriculture Victoria on 0409 424 274 or alison.desmond@agriculture.vic.gov.au

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