In this edition

Latest news

• New soil health guide
• EOI for on-farm demonstration opportunity – now open

Events, programs and workshops

• The Unbreakable Farmer – free BBQ dinner and presentation: Goornong
• Understanding your farm business and finances: Ararat, Colac, Hamilton workshops
• Understanding your fodder feed tests workshop and dinner: Euroa
• Gippsland Farm Business Resilience workshops: Bass Coast and East Gippsland
• Agroforesty – the end game: harvesting and marketing your product
• Run 4 Resilience: Bridgewater
• Save the date: BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef conference and dinner
• Save the Date: Hort Connections 2024 conference and trade show – Grow. Connect. Thrive.

Resources and programs

• Webinar recording: Victoria's seasonal climate outlook and soil moisture update for autumn
• After the Flood: stories of farmer recovery and resilience podcast season – full season now available
• Farm Fitness Checklist
• Nuffield 2025 Drought-Resilience Scholarships now open
• Victorian Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
• Drought Resilience Self-Assessment Tool
• My Climate View

Agriculture recovery support for farmers

• Technical information and decision-making support
• Emergency Recovery Victoria
• Rural Financial Counselling Service
• National Centre for Farmer Health
• Health and personal wellbeing
• Farm Business Resilience Program

A new resource will serve as a one-stop-shop for farmers and gardeners keen to understand and improve their soil health.

North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and Agriculture Victoria have teamed up to create the region’s new Soil Health Guide.

The guide includes a physical and digital book, a step-by step website, and instructional videos on how to understand, test, and improve your soil. It looks at ground cover, biological activity, soil colour, pH, texture, topsoil, structure, compaction, and stability and discusses the valuable role played by existing soil carbon stores and how they offer great benefit to both agricultural productivity and the wider environment.

To find out more and access the free resources, visit the NCCMA website. 

This project is delivered by the North Central CMA and Agriculture Victoria, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Is there a technology, innovation or research finding that your producer group is keen to test on-farm?

Agriculture Victoria, in partnership with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), is conducting a new producer demonstration program with the opportunity to establish five new on-farm demonstration projects.

The program is inviting Expressions of Interest from Victorian sheep and beef producer groups to design and conduct their own three-year project.

Selected projects will focus on demonstrating systems or technologies in one of four priority areas:

• Manage and adapt to a changing climate or specific regional conditions (e.g. addressing feed gaps, grazing system, enterprise mix)
• Reduce emissions or emissions intensity, (e.g. reproductive efficiencies, feed types and quality, soil fertility management)
• Manage animal health and welfare risks resulting from increasing/emerging biosecurity threats in a changing climate
• Implement on-farm innovations that improve production and management efficiencies (e.g. recent research findings, genetics, ag tech).

Expressions of Interest close on Monday 13 May 2024.

More information and to receive an Expression of Interest form is available here or by contacting Project Leader Farming Systems Bindi Hunter on 0428 589 016 or by email.

Understanding your farm business and finances: Ararat, Colac, Hamilton workshops

Beef and sheep producers are invited to a free farm business success workshop presented by Agriculture Victoria and Pinion Advisory.

Understanding finance can be overwhelming and this workshop will help farm businesses to have a better understanding of their financial position. The workshop will support farmers to build skills, knowledge, and confidence to manage their farm business finances.

The workshops will be co-delivered by Pinion Advisory’s Clinton Emslie and Esmée de Looff who have significant agricultural and agri-finance experience.

Workshop details

Ararat

• Location: Agriculture Victoria, 233-239 Barkly Street, Ararat
• Date and time: Tuesday 30 April, 9.30 am to 3 pm

Colac

• Location: Colac Bowls Club, 35 Moore Street, Colac
• Date and time: Wednesday 1 May, 9.30 am to 3 pm

Hamilton

• Location: Agriculture Victoria, Hamilton Centre, 915 Mount Napier Road, Hamilton
• Date and time: Thursday 2 May, 9.30 am to 3 pm

Register HERE

More information: email Hannah Manning or call 0400 532 595.

Gippsland Farm Business Resilience workshops: Bass Coast and East Gippsland

The Farm Business Resilience Program is supporting farmers to develop the knowledge and skills they need to improve their farm business and be better equipped to manage the impacts of drought and a changing climate.

Agriculture Victoria, in partnership with the ION Group, is inviting farmers to join a free short course with specialists on the following topics:

• Business planning and risk management
• Farm finances and profitable decision making
• Managing people on-farm, farm safety and wellbeing
• Climate adaptation and natural resource improvement including soil, water, crops and pastures.

Workshop details

Bass Coast

• Location: Wonthaggi – venue TBC
• Dates and times: Monday 6 to Wednesday 8 May (Block 1) and Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 May (Block 2), 9.30 am to 2.30 pm
• Register HERE

East Gippsland

• Location: Bairnsdale or Lakes Entrance – TBC
• Dates and times: Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 May (Block 1) and Monday 17 to Wednesday 19 June (Block 2)
• Register HERE

More information: email Scott Botten or call 0499 412 423.

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.

Save the date: BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef conference and dinner

Plans are currently underway for the Agriculture Victoria BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef conference and dinner to be held in Ballarat this year. 

More details when available on the Agriculture Victoria events page.

Location: Ballarat

Dates: Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 June

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Webinar recording: Victoria's seasonal climate outlook and soil moisture update for autumn

In this webinar recording, Seasonal Risk Agronomist Dale Grey provides an update on Victoria's climate outlook for autumn. Dale focuses on the current seasonal climate outlook and climate driver activity.

Dale Boyd provides a seasonal update of the cropping and soil moisture conditions as measured by the Agriculture Victoria moisture probe network. This includes a review of the distribution of summer rain and how the season is tracking compared to last year and other years in the monitoring period of the probes.

View the recording here and use the password: Climate

Duration: 63 minutes (including questions).

This webinar was originally presented on Wednesday 17 April.

After the Flood: stories of farmer recovery and resilience podcast season – full season now available

Agriculture Victoria’s podcast season ‘After the flood: stories of farmer recovery and resilience’ explores the recovery required after a natural disaster, the support provided and the resilience of Victorian famers, including how different industries are recovering.

All episodes are now available on the Agriculture Victoria website:

The season has been produced by Agriculture Victoria in partnership with the National Centre for Farmer Health #BuildingFarmSpirit program.

Treat your body like you treat your tractor. That's what Claire Harrison tells the Active Farmers who come to her group fitness classes in rural Victoria. 

Your farm can’t run if your tractor breaks down, it’s the same with your body.

With floods and other stresses hitting farmers, hear how Claire’s classes have become more than just an opportunity to exercise.

Listen to Episode 7 of After the Flood HERE.

Farm Fitness Checklist

The Farm Fitness Checklist helps farmers assess where their business is at currently, and to identify areas and opportunities to strengthen their farm business.

It covers subjects including people management, skills and training, business planning and financial performance, emergency management, infrastructure, water supply, natural resource management, risk management, succession planning, off-farm activities and more.

Download the Farm Fitness Checklist from the Agriculture Victoria website.

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A range of support measures are available for farmers who have been impacted by natural disasters. Information about these measures can be found at agriculture.vic.gov.au/floods. For any urgent animal welfare needs, please contact 136 186.

Agriculture Victoria is working with Victorian farmers and industry to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters (including floods and storms) through delivery of technical information and decision-making support services to help farm business recovery including: 

• Grazing, cropping and pasture management
• Irrigation and horticulture system rehabilitation 
• Soil erosion management  
• Land management 
• Animal health and nutrition  
• Farm mapping and planning  
• Water quality
• Weed management.

Farmers are encouraged to contact the Agriculture Recovery team on 136 186 or email recovery@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

Recovery support is available for people affected by the:

• February 2024 Victorian storms
• February 2024 Western Victorian bushfires
• December 2023 to January 2024 Victorian storms and floods. 

To find out more, contact the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 from 8 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday, and 9 am to 5 pm on weekends, or visit the Emergency Recovery Victoria website.

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

The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) 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.

Find your closest service here or call 1300 771 741.

The National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) is committed to supporting primary producers whose properties, livestock or crops were damaged or lost in the floods and storms. There are a number of resources available on the NCFH website to support farmer health, wellbeing and safety.

Managing stress on the farm

Click to read or download this Managing Stress on the Farm book from the National Centre for Farmer Health website. You can also request free hard copies from the website.

It is normal to have strong reactions following a distressing or frightening event and people can experience a range of physical, mental, emotional and behavioural reactions.

There are a number of support services available (listed below) to assist you and your family recover from the strong emotional or physical reactions you may be experiencing.

Are you concerned about your own mental health? Reach out to Lifeline for a safe place to talk on 13 11 14.

Other available support includes:

• Your doctor or local community health centre
• A counsellor or psychologist
• Parentline 13 22 89
• Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
• Nurse-On-Call 1300 60 60 24 – for expert health information and advice (24 hours, 7 days)
• Australian Psychological Society Referral Service 1800 333 497.

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The Farm Business Resilience (FBR) Program is supporting farmers to develop knowledge and skills to improve their farm business and manage the impacts of a changing climate.

The program supports farmers to improve skills and management practices around 4 key areas:

• Business planning and risk management
• Farm finances and profitable decision making
• Managing people on farm, farm safety and wellbeing
• Climate adaptation and natural resource management including soil, water, crops and pastures.

The FBR Program has supported farmers in developing 547 farm business plans and engaged 1542 farmers in intensive training activities.

More information about the FBR program is available at agriculture.vic.gov.au/FBRP or the Our Farm, Our Plan web page for information about the dairy program.

Information about upcoming FBR events is regularly posted on the Agriculture Victoria website.

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.

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