Ready to grow your agri-food business by exploring export opportunities but not sure where to start?

Or have you had a bit of export experience but want to take it further?

Agriculture Victoria is delivering a series of in-person workshops to support agri-food and beverage SMEs to navigate the pathway to export.

By the end of the workshop, you can expect to:

• Understand the key steps of the export process
• Have identified relevant export risks and ways to protect your business
• Know how to approach enquiries from international buyers
• Have heard from experienced agri-food exporters about how they identified demand and have built sustainable international partnerships
• Have a plan for your next steps on the pathway to export.

Agriculture Victoria is partnering with Shirley Ng from the Australian Industry (Ai) Group to provide tailored, agri-food and beverage specific export information to support your exporting journey.

The workshop is free to attend for one attendee per business, and places are limited. A light lunch will be provided.

For more information, contact Alice Ritchie at pathwaystoexport@agriculture.vic.gov.au or call 0429 386 781.

To register select your preferred location above or click here.

Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) flagship event, MLA Updates 2023, is open for registrations.

Held on Thursday, 23 November at the Bendigo Showgrounds, MLA Updates will feature presentations, displays and demonstrations bringing farmers – and everyone along the red meat supply chain – up to speed on MLA’s investments in research, development and marketing.

This year’s theme centres around ‘Sustainability from paddock to plate’, with a strong focus throughout the day on solutions and technology that embrace sustainability and set producers up for success.

To register to attend this free event please visit MLA Updates 2023 registration.

For further information please visit the MLA website.

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Meat and Livestock Australia have released their latest State of the Industry Report. This provides an overview of Australia’s read meat industry from the prior calendar year. It examines the market and industry conditions in the 2021-2022 financial year and 2022 calendar year.

For more information visit the MLA website.

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Agriculture Victoria is offering farmers in the Rochester and Elmore communities an opportunity to attend a series of free Farm Business Resilience (FBR) workshops.

The workshops are designed to help participants better prepare for and manage the impacts of drought and a changing climate.

Four modules are being delivered across the 3 workshops, beginning in early November. Participants completing 3 of the 4 modules, will be offered a one-on-one session with ORM Pty Ltd Senior Agribusiness Consultant, Jane Foster.

Workshop sessions will cover key farm management topics, including:

• Workshop 1 - 3 November: Identifying and managing risks, strategic planning and setting business goals 
• Workshop 2 - 8 November: Financial management, budgeting and profitable decision making 
• Workshop 3 - 14 November:  Managing people on farm, succession planning and farm safety (morning session), climate risk and natural resource management (afternoon session).

The workshops will be facilitated by Agriculture Victoria specialists and Senior Agribusiness Consultant, Jane Foster.

Click here to register your interest in one or all of the Rochester/Elmore workshops.

Primary producers from other regions can also register their interest in future Farm Business Resilience workshops by completing the survey.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Alsop on 0457 838 537 or email elizabeth.alsop@agriculture.vic.gov.au

The Farm Business Resilience Program is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Victorian Government’s Future Agriculture Skills Capacity Fund.

Further information about the Farm Business Resilience Program and the Future Drought Fund can also be found on the Agriculture Victoria website.

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Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has opened registrations for a Carbon EDGE pilot workshop to be held 5 and 6 December in Benalla.

Carbon EDGE is a two-day training program for the red meat industry, providing participants with an understanding of the opportunities for emissions reduction and carbon storage activities in a livestock grazing business.

As a participant, producers will use their own information to develop an action plan for their business as they learn about the practices and technologies that could reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability and productivity.

The Carbon EDGE pilot will cover:

• key terminology and concepts relating to greenhouse gases (GHG) within the red meat industry
• understanding the greenhouse gas emissions footprint within individual livestock businesses
• in-depth information on the practices to reduce and sequester GHG within a livestock grazing business
• weighing up broad opportunities and risks associated with generating carbon credits
• understanding carbon neutrality and how it aligns to your business goals
• developing a carbon action plan that incorporates practical and achievable strategies to meet your objectives.

Places at these pilot workshops are limited and producers interested are encouraged to register early to access a discounted price prior to 20 November.

For further information or if you are interested in registering, please visit Carbon EDGE.

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As per the snapshot shown, while all of the State was unseasonably dry in September, the rains in early October have turned the prospects around for East Gippsland. This may allow stock to be finished in some case on pasture and provide some soil moisture for sowing summer crops. 

A good spring is expected in the Northeast and some central parts of the State; however, the Western District missed out on significant rains and some areas are very dry and likely to have an earlier finish to spring than usual.

To see more detailed information, including comments from 4 soil probe owners about their current season and how this is informing decisions for the season ahead, read the latest newsletter here.

To see all the soil probe data visit the Soil Moisture Monitoring website.

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Bushfire poses a significant threat to all those living, working or travelling in Victoria. Managing the risk of bushfire is vitally important. Planning and preparing for bushfire includes identifying and undertaking tasks to manage the risk before bushfire season, as well as during a bushfire.

Don’t wait for summer to start preparing your property for bushfires.  Undertaking tasks now to prepare your property will allow for better planning.  Agriculture Victoria and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) have information and resources that can assist with your planning.

For more information watch these short videos:

• Farm fire safety tips – Agriculture Victoria and the Country Fire Authority have worked together to develop some simple steps to prepare your property for a fire
• Managing fire fuel on-farm – Managing your property’s fuel load is an easy way to prepare your farm for the fire season
• Maintain machinery as part of your fire plan – Maintaining machinery that could become invaluable in the event of fire is one of the simple steps you can take to prepare your farm for the fire season
• Roadside numbering and fire – Simple steps to ensure your property has clear roadside numbering
• Farm gates, fences and fire – Ensuring ease of access for larger emergency service vehicles in the event of a fire is one of the simple ways you can prepare your farm for the fire season.

Agriculture Victoria has developed a Fire Preparedness Toolkit  with input from landholders to assist with preparing your farm.  This includes a checklist of tasks to compete before fire season. This toolkit should be used in conjunction with existing information and resources provided by the CFA and your local council.

The CFA has information to assist farmers and land managers on how to prepare your property.

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) have also recently released a new resource to help livestock producers prepare and recover. The new manual, Bushfire preparation and recovery: A manual for livestock producers reinforces the fact that bushfire preparation needs to occur more than once a year, with the manual incorporating lessons from the Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20. 

A Bushfire hub has been created on the MLA website which includes the manual, videos and support services to help producers prepare and recover from a bushfire. 

Have you been impacted by recent floods, fires or dry seasonal conditions?

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.

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Victoria’s food and fibre exports are a major driver of the state’s economy and our reputation for delivering safe and high-quality products relies on a strong traceability system.

The Traceability Community is a centralised place for the agricultural industry to find and share information on traceability. It’s a place where innovation is welcome, and members are encouraged to engage with their partners along the supply chain to advance their traceability systems.

The Traceability Community provides an interactive space to ask questions, connect with experts and stay up to date with research, export requirements, and information.

Participating is easy - list your name in the Directory, test out the Ask an Expert feature, and take a look at the News section.

Click here to join.

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A range of support measures are available for flood and storm-affected farmers. Information about these measures can be found on the Agriculture Victoria website. For any urgent animal welfare needs, please contact 136 186.

Applications for Victorian Government Primary Producer Flood Recovery financial support for the 6 October 2022 to 13 January 2023 floods closed on 13 July.

Applicants who successfully applied for a Primary Producer Flood Recovery grant have up to 31 May 2024 to finalise their claims for Tier 2 payments.

Rural Finance administer these programs on behalf of the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments.

More information is available at Rural Finance by calling 1800 260 425 or by checking the website at www.ruralfinance.com.au

If you applied to Rural Finance for financial support for the October to January floods and storms and are awaiting the outcome of your application, contact Rural Finance at:

Phone: 1800 260 425
Email: admin@ruralfinance.com.au

The National Centre for Farmer Health is committed to supporting primary producers whose properties, livestock or crops were damaged or lost in the floods and storms through the delivery of initiatives to boost farmer mental health and wellbeing, including:

• A supportive online community through the #BuildingFarmSpirit social media campaign
• Free access to online psychology support delivered by farmer health trained psychologists
• Support for community events providing social connection and mental health promotion opportunities for farmers, farming families and farming communities
• Distribution of mental health resources and support information.

More information is available on the National Centre for Farmer Health website.

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BWBL Networks contact: Alison Desmond, Project Leader M: 0409 424 274 E: alison.desmond@agriculture.vic.gov.au 

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Foxes are one of Australia's most serious pest animals as they not only prey on livestock and native animals, but they also have the potential to spread exotic diseases, including rabies, which would seriously threaten livestock, wildlife and human health should it enter the country.

In 2013, it was estimated that foxes costed Australia more than $35 million in lost production. Foxes are also believed to be the primary cause in the decline of numerous Australian small mammal species. Those particularly vulnerable weigh between 35 and 5,500 grams, which is often referred to as the 'critical weight range'.

Effective fox control requires an integrated approach using a combination of control measures (not just one).

A new Planning Guide for Fox Management in Australia has been produced by the Centre for Invasive Species solutions (CISS) to help individuals, groups and organisations wanting to control foxes to first define the problem, then assess control options (eg baiting, shooting, trapping, fencing etc) and then prepare effective plans for fox management.

A video series has been developed by Agriculture Victoria that gives an overview of foxes as an invasive species and explores common control methods you can use to manage populations. To view the series click here.

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BetterBeef Networks contact: Darren Hickey, Project Leader 

M: 0457 609 140 E: darren.hickey@agriculture.vic.gov.au

The book Buying Better Bulls (Queensland DPI) is an excellent technical resource for beef producers. While a number of years old now, and originally written for northern beef systems, it does provide some important reminders about the importance of sire selection in genetic improvement, what heritability is and how it works, and the principles of genetic improvement to ensure improvement is achieved.

Some key points about ensuring that the bulls you buy now are genetically superior to the last current bull team are:

• Increased bull longevity, (from improved structural soundness and fertility) therefore more calves per bull (reducing the per calf cost per bull)
• Faster growing calves that more consistently meet buyer specifications
• Replacement heifers that will become more profitable and efficient breeders.

Remember that while genetic gain can be slow for some traits, genetic gains are cumulative and permanent. 

Download the Buying Better Bulls book here. 

Don’t forget the all-important bull soundness examinations prior to putting out the bulls for joining. Victoria has a number of BULLCHECK accredited veterinarians. These can be found at the Australian Cattle Vets website.

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