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Agriculture Victoria and the City of Greater Bendigo invite you to a free workshop on vaccination and biosecurity plans for your sheep, goat or alpaca flocks.
Topics include:
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The role of vaccination
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Vaccination best practice (handling, storage, administration and vaccination technique)
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Key things to consider when choosing a vaccine
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Pre-lambing vaccination
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How does vaccination fit into your biosecurity management plan
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Landholders can collect a biosecurity sign during this workshop.
To register click here or for more information contact Jennifer Shaw on jennifer.shaw@agriculture.vic.gov.au or call 0499 684 237.
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This second 'resilient breeders' workshop will look at genetic selection and include the following:
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Creating a breeding objective for production, profit and resilience
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Selecting traits and rams that match your breeding objective and budget
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Low emission agriculture and the latest on the seasonal outlook.
For more information contact event organiser Kirstie Anderson kirstie.anderson@agricuture.vic.gov.au or on 0437 990 967.
To register click here.
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Join us for a workshop looking into cattle health.
The day will focus on late pregnancy and calving with Dr Ben Bloomfield and Agriculture Victoria's Livestock Extension Officer, Greg Ferrier, will turn your attention towards farm biosecurity.
We will also be accepting Expression of Interest (EOI) to form a local BetterBeef producer group.
To register click here or for more information, contact Erica Schelfhorst at erica.schelfhorst@agriculture.vic.gov.au or call 0429 807 689.
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Perennial Pasture Systems (PPS) invite anyone interested in agriculture to join its members at the upcoming annual conference which includes speaker sessions that include the following topics:
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Pasture and investment – Prof. Bill Malcolm; Melbourne University, Lisa Warn; Lisa Warn Ag Consulting, Cam Morris; Ag Diagnostics
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Farm employment – Carlyn Sherriff; Pinion Advisory and Stuart Robinson, Terrinallum Estate
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Shock proofing the farm systems Dr Kate Burke; Think Agri
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Shock proofing our farm system – Dan Jess; 'Illoura' Ballyrogan, Victoria.
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Presenter Panel – facilitated by Tess McDougall, Agriculture Victoria.
The conference will conclude with a farm tour where you will see many of the conference themes being implemented.
The day will finish with the Annual Conference Dinner and guest speaker. PPS feels privileged to welcome high profile AFL personality, Peter Jess to tell his story of playing football for Avoca and rising to be an influential player manager.
Contact the PPS Project Manager at yadin061@tpg.com.au for further information or click here to book.
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Join us at this practical workshop to update your knowledge and provide reassurance that you are doing the right thing with your employees and family members.
Workshop topics include:
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Do we need to pay leave loading?
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How many overtime hours can employees work?
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What is included in a salary offer?
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What do we need to include in a job description?
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How do we retain great staff?
To register or for more information click here.
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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We invite you to join the next Productivity & Profitability webinar presented by Dr Penny Schultz from Schultz Livestock on how to incorporate genetics into a value chain approach.
Tune into this webinar to learn how:
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not meeting target market specifications can impact your profitability
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selection and breeding programs can influence your ability to hit your target market more consistently and efficiently
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to use all the data, feedback, and tools to assess your performance and make improvements to your breeding program.
For more information or to register visit the MLA website.
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| Efficient farm office workshops |
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Join one of our workshops where Carmen Quade of AgriFocused will look at the record keeping obligations on farm businesses and how things can be streamlined and simplified.
Topics include:
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Legal requirements
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Record keeping for tax
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Record keeping for livestock
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Cloud based systems
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Paper based systems
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Overcoming barriers to change
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Tips for various bookkeeping programs
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Data security and avoiding fraud.
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To register, click on your preferred session above or for more information contact Tanya Dobrijevic at tanya.dobrijevic@agriculture.vic.gov.au or call 0484 620 029.
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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| Gippsland Farmer 2023 Bus Tour |
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Over 5 days, visit and talk to farmers across Victoria and South Australia about 'the business of farming'. Industries covered include beef, sheep, lambs, wool, dairy, cropping, soils, high input, organic, business models, farming systems groups, plus more.
When: Monday 11 September to Friday 15 September, hosted by the Gippsland Agricultural Group Inc
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Monday 11 September Bairnsdale to Geelong
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Tuesday 12 September Geelong to Penola
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Wednesday 13 September Penola to Renmark
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Thursday 14 September Renmark to Bendigo
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Friday 15 September Bendigo to Bairnsdale.
Register your place here.
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| PRODUCTIVITY & PROFITABILITY SERIES 2023 RECORDINGS |
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How to attract and keep good staff
This webinar features Mick Hay, Managing Director of Rimfire Resources, who discusses farm labour and how to attract and retain good staff.
The webinar covers:
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What you need to prioritise to recruit for retention?
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How to attract staff in a candidate driven market? The current unemployment rate is at 3.6% and not predicted to rise above 4.6% for next 3-4 years.
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Workforce skill sets are changing – how will this impact your farm business?
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Employees want to work for employers of choice – how brand, reputation and social impact can help you become an employer of choice?
Click here to watch
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Seasonal update - Forecast implications
This webinar features Phil Graham, from Graham Advisory, who presents a current seasonal update and implications of this for producers.
The webinar covers:
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How to assess your exposure to a dry spring because the impact across southern Australia will be variable this year.
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What online resources are available to help producers assess current soil moisture?
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How to make the most of a below average spring through better pasture quality?
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The benefits of a dry summer such as lowering worm burden on pastures.
Click here to watch.
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| SOIL CARBON EXPLAINED IN NEW E-LEARN |
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Are you keen to understand more about soil carbon?
Agriculture Victoria has developed a soil carbon eLearning module that will provide a great introduction for those seeking a better understanding of soil carbon, its role and function in agriculture.
Over recent decades farmers have been actively working towards conserving and increasing soil carbon and reducing soil carbon losses by improved farm management practices.
Soil carbon is critical for soil health, improving productivity, profitability and resilience.
While soil carbon is easy to lose, and can be challenging to increase, it’s important to remember that maintaining your soil carbon levels whilst producing food and fibre is a great outcome.
The introduction to soil carbon eLearn delves into:
soil health benefits of soil carbon
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difference between soil carbon and soil organic matter
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influence of soil type, climate and land management on soil carbon stocks
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impacts of agriculture practices on soil carbon
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where to go for further information and resources.
If you would like to learn about the importance of soil carbon, this is a great resource. Access the Introduction to soil carbon eLearn here.
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| SOIL MOISTURE MONITORING PROJECT SNAPSHOT |
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The soil moisture monitoring project, with the use of underground probes, provides real-time soil water content data to Victoria’s farmers.
Monitoring sites have been set up in more broadacre cropping paddocks, and also sheep, cattle and dairy systems throughout the state by Agriculture Victoria.
The sites record soil water content at one source point from 30 centimetres (cm) down to 1 metre as a reference point for a paddock.
To access more detailed information provided in the latest snapshot infographics above, log onto the Agriculture Victoria soil moisture monitoring dashboard.
No login or passwords required, and speedos are automatically updated and will represent the most recent rainfall.
Information and analysis of data from the soil moisture probe network is formatted into an eNewsletter in a monthly basis in the growing season. Subscribe to the soil moisture monitoring newsletter here.
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| CATTLE ABORTION STUDY: RESEARCHERS SEEK INPUT FROM INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS |
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Charles Sturt University researchers are seeking vital input from industry stakeholders to understand the perception and attitude towards abortion in cattle within Australasia to better align the needs of producers with those of veterinarians.
Fifth-year Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Veterinary Science student at Wagga Wagga Charles Sturt School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Taylor Drayton (pictured), is currently completing the study as part of her honours thesis. She is being co-supervised by Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Epidemiology, Dr Jennifer Manyweathers, and Associate Professor in the Theriogeneology and Production Animal Group, Dr Allan Gunn.
Ms Drayton is interested in increasing the understanding of the views of farmers and veterinarians regarding knowledge, perception and attitude towards abortion in cattle within Australasia.
Her aim is to better align the needs, expectations and perceptions of producers with those of veterinarians. Ms Drayton said the outcomes of the study could have a positive effect on multiple facets of the industry.
Ms Drayton said there is currently limited research on abortion investigation in Australasia, and although literature reports indicate a definition for abortion, there is a lack of knowledge about what producers view as abortion.
A study conducted in the United Kingdom showed a disconnect between producers and veterinarians, leading to veterinarians not being as proactive about having conversations with producers about abortion.
'This study will aim to see if a similar disconnect is occurring in Australia,' Ms Drayton said.
Producers and veterinarians are invited to take part in an anonymous online survey. Participants must be older than 18 years of age.
There is a separate survey for producers and veterinarians therefore researchers ask participants to ensure they complete the relevant survey to their chosen field.
To complete the producers survey click here.
To complete the veterinarians survey click here.
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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.
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| NATIONAL CENTRE FOR FARMER HEALTH: FLOOD RESPONSE SUPPORT |
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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:
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A supportive online community through the #BuildingFarmSpirit social media campaign
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Free access to online psychology support delivered by farmer health trained psychologists
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Support for community events providing social connection and mental health promotion opportunities for farmers, farming families and farming communities
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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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Short Cuts is series of short videos highlighting animal health issues that affect sheep carcase quality and practical tips to avoid them.
There are 8 short videos covering the following topics:
Check out this series of Short Cuts videos from the Agriculture Victoria's Red Meat Value Chain team for tips on how to manage and prevent carcase damage, economic loss, disease and welfare issues in your sheep farming business as well as keeping you and your family safe.
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BetterBeef Networks contact: Darren Hickey, Project Leader
M: 0457 609 140 E: darren.hickey@agriculture.vic.gov.au
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Dr Jeff Cave, Agriculture Victoria Senior Veterinary Officer
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Calving difficulties (dystocia) contribute heavily to production losses. In fact, following internal parasites, bloat and pestivirus, economically it is the fourth most significant animal health condition in cattle.
Less noticeable losses due to calving difficulties include delayed return to heat after birth, poor conception rates at maturity, increased labour and associated veterinary and medicine costs.
Many calving difficulties can be avoided by doing the following:
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always mate first-time heifers and small cows to easy-calving bulls. The bull’s Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) will provide a useful guide
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ensure that first-time heifers have reached their critical joining weight. Join heifers for a maximum of 6 weeks and maintain optimal nutrition during pregnancy to ensure they are at their full potential and health at calving
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monitor body condition score (BCS) and target calving cows and heifers to be in BCS 2.5 - 3.0 at calving. This should not vary by more than 0.5 BCS during pregnancy.
If a cow fails to conceive or has problems calving, then there is a good chance she will repeat this at her next calving.
When assisting cows at calving, provide adequate time for a cow or heifer to calve prior to interfering.
However, monitor closely as early intervention can help prevent difficult calving and calf deaths.
Know your limitations and level of experience and be ready to call for veterinary assistance when it’s required.
For further information please contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer.
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