The Ag Vic 2023 BestWool/BestLamb Conference will be held at the Bendigo Showgrounds on Tuesday 20 June.

A pre-conference dinner will take place on Monday 19 June at the All Seasons Resort Hotel in Bendigo to celebrate 25 years of the BestWool/BestLamb program.

Our dinner guest speaker will be Mark Wales, former SAS and winner of TV series Australian Survivor.

The line-up of conference speakers in the program is sure to inform, challenge and excite participants with the most up to date sheep industry research and information.

Early bird registrations are now on sale until 5 June.

Click here to register.

For more information contact Lyndon Kubeil on 0418 532 085 or lyndon.kubeil@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

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The On-Farm Emissions Action Plan Pilot is supporting farmers to improve their productivity and gain important skills and knowledge while helping them to estimate, manage and reduce their on-farm emissions.

Nick Blandford runs a self-replacing Merino flock of approximately 2800-3000 breeding ewes, producing wool, lamb and mutton for the domestic and international markets, on 1400 hectares in Meerlieu, East Gippsland.

With a background in agricultural science and research, Nick has a long interest in climate change and emissions reduction.  He signed up for the pilot to learn more about the emissions intensity of their production system and to identify the main sources and sinks of greenhouse gases on farm.

'The most important thing for our business is to get as close as possible to achieving carbon neutrality.  I hope to be able to achieve this and use what I learn to develop strategies to improve the resilience of our production system and evaluate the marketing opportunities available to us.'

Knowing where to start with emissions reduction is a challenge faced by many, however, Nick said the key thing for farmers is to understand what the sources and sinks of emissions are and to find cost-effective ways to measure and manage changes over time. 

The one-on-one technical advice and support provided through the pilot will assist farmers to identify sources of emissions and, through grant funding, provide an opportunity to implement an emissions reduction project.

'My advice for other farmers is the sooner you understand the emissions intensity of your production system the better off you will be. From this point, you can evaluate your inventory to determine what resources you need to retain and what you can sell.'

Nick also encourages the agriculture sector to get involved with network and industry groups to share skills and knowledge.

'One of the best ways to learn is through peer-to-peer networks, hopefully I can provide insights from what I learn through the networks I am involved with including Young Farmers Network, Young Farmers Online, Bestwool/Bestlamb group and East Gippsland Landcare Network.'

The On-Farm Emissions Action Plan Pilot will support up to 250 farm businesses across the state to measure their on-farm emissions profile and identify potential actions to manage and reduce emissions while maintaining productivity.

The pilot is being delivered as part of the Agriculture Sector Emissions Reduction Pledge to provide practical information, tools and services to support farmers to understand and reduce emissions.

A number of free, practical tools and resources have been developed and are available on the Agriculture Victoria website to help inform and educate the industry about weather and climate patterns, carbon emissions, and energy use on farms;  

• The Soil Carbon Snapshot delivers the latest science around soil carbon and includes links to 70 research references and soil carbon reports relevant to Australian agriculture. 
• Agriculture Victoria also delivers climate webinars on topics relevant to primary producers and others working in agriculture.  Subscribe to be notified when new webinars become available.
• For farmers considering selling carbon credits from their trees or soils, a revised set of Frequently Asked Questions has been developed to help inform business decision-making.

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The FeedingLivestock website hosts all our feeding and nutrition resources including the beef and sheep drought books; feed tables and a range of tools to assist in feeding and budgeting.

This month the focus has been on feed tests and interpretation. We have an article in SheepNotes Autumn 2023 on interpreting all the measurements you from a feed test and how the values can affect the cost to animals and your back pocket.

Listen to the recent webinar with Nick Linden “Feed tests – what are the numbers and how to use them”.

SheepNotes Autumn 2023 also includes articles on:

• pneumonia
• understanding the methane and carbon cycles
• providers of worm testing
• reflections of the last 25 years of being involved in a Bestwool/Bestlamb group.

SheepNotes informs sheep producers about general sheep health and welfare, production, market protection and biosecurity issues.To subscribe to SheepNotes click here.

Have you signed up to our Soil moisture monitoring of pastures newsletter?

In the May newsletter we have provided a snaphot across the state of soil moisture and temperature. The soil moisture monitoring website shows data from Agriculture Victoria soil moisture probe sites as well as a number from other organisations such as the Gecko Clan and Perennial Pasture Systems group.

Both soil moisture and temperature are measured at each site with sensors to depth (recorded hourly and uploaded from the field with a telemetry unit and sim card connection).

The website also provides additional site information on the soil characteristics and plant species, with a new dashboard allowing easier, quicker access with an improved search function.

This allows farmers to distinguish between crop types being monitored, pasture and soil types and location rainfall, all of which influence soil moisture data.

There is also a Victorian seasonal outlook for 1 to 3 months and extending into spring.

To see pasture and cropping soil moisture monitoring sites visit: https://extensionaus.com.au/soilmoisturemonitoring/

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Registrations are now open for the Future Drought Fund’s 2023 Science to Practice Forum, 6-8 June 2023 that will be held online.

The annual forum is a showcase of the innovative tools and practices helping Australian farmers and communities respond to a changing climate and prepare for future drought.

Pip Courtney, award-winning television journalist and presenter of ABC TV’s Landline, will host this year’s online forum and facilitate engaging discussions.

Be sure to join the farmers, producers and agricultural advisors day on Wednesday 7 June. The day will include stories of drought and preparing for it, ‘call-to-action’ presentations, farmer and farm-advisor delivered sessions.

Register for the 2023 Science to Practice Forum via Eventbrite.

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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.

Farmers and growers impacted by floods and storms between 6 October 2022 and 13 January 2023 are eligible to apply for financial support via the current flood recovery grants.

Available grants include:

• Primary Producer Recovery Grants: Up to $75,000 grants to cover the cost of recovery and get businesses up and running again. Note: This replaces the $10,000 Primary Producer Flood Clean–Up, Relief Grants announced on 19 October. Producers that have received a Primary Producer Flood Clean–Up Relief Grant of $10,000 can now apply for up to a further $65,000 under the Primary Producer Recovery Grant, bringing the total to $75,000.
• Rural Landholder Grants: Up to $25,000 grants to cover the costs of disaster impacts for small-scale producers.
• Primary Producer Concessional Loans: Up to $250,000 to restore or replace damaged equipment and infrastructure, or to cover short-term business expenses. This loan has been amended to allow primary producers who suffered a significant loss of income as a direct result of the 2022 Victorian floods and storms but who did not suffer direct damage to assets to apply for a concessional loan of up to $100,000.
• Primary Producer Transport Subsidies: Up to $15,000 to support the transport of emergency fodder or stock drinking water, and the movement of livestock.

To apply for support or for more information visit the Rural Finance website.

Technical information and decision-making support

Agriculture Victoria is working with Victorian producers 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 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 0427 694 185 (Mon - Fri between 8.30 am and 5 pm) or email recovery@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

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

Entries are currently being received for the 2023 Australian Fleece Competition.  Run jointly by Nutrien Ag Solutions, the Australian Wool Testing Authority (AWTA) and Australian Sheep Breeders Association. The competition forms part of the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, held in Bendigo, 14-16 July.

This year will celebrate 22 years of the Australian Fleece Competition.

The Australian Fleece Competition is the largest fully measured fleece competition in the world.  The competition showcases a range of fleeces, representing every state and a wide range of breeds and microns.  The performance class will again be part of the competition to allow the benchmarking and display of fleeces shorn at 6 to 8 month intervals.

At the conclusion of the competition, exhibitors have the opportunity to donate their fleeces to this year’s nominated charity, Down Syndrome Australia.  Thanks to the generosity of exhibitors, twenty-one national charities have shared in over $200,000 since the inception of the competition.

The closing date for entries to be received at the Brooklyn wool store is Friday, 2 June 2023.

Further details regarding the competition schedule, fleece tickets and online entry instructions are available on the following websites:

• www.nutrienagsolutions.com.au
• www.sheepshow.com

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BetterBeef Networks contact: Darren Hickey, Project Leader 

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

From left to right: George Innes, Bryce Headlam, Mark Bunge, Indi Lamond, Meg Bell, James Cameron, Glen Cameron, Stacey Morton, Tim Morton and Angus Hill.

Interpreting and better utilising carcase data to meet market specifications.

The Western District BetterBeef group is based in the Hamilton area of south-west Victoria. Meg Bell, Principal Consultant at Coleraine Livestock Consulting is the group’s coordinator. Meg has been the coordinator of this group since 2018, and since 2022 has been assisted by Indi Lamond. Indi took up a Livestock Consultant Intern role with Coleraine Livestock Consulting and Rumenate Livestock Services, through MLA’s Livestock Consulting Internship program, administered by Meridian Agriculture.

There are 11 active producer members of the Western District BetterBeef group. Members are based around Hamilton including Gazette, Lake Mundi, Henty and Naringal. There are a range of production systems represented in this group including selling finished cattle for grass-fed farm assurance programs for the domestic (supermarkets) and export markets, backgrounding for feedlots, trading and also breeding and selling seedstock.

South-West Victoria is Victoria’s largest beef cattle producing region (39% of the state’s cattle). Hamilton has a winter dominant rainfall distribution pattern, averaging approximately 619mm per year (Hamilton Airport data).

The group were interested in learning more about their supply chains and understanding feedback from processors, so a tour of the Teys plant at Hynam in South Australia was arranged for late April 2023. The tour had several aims including:

• getting a processor perspective on how they could make better on-farm production decisions to turn-off better cattle in order to meet market specifications
• what genetics they should be looking at to turn-off better cattle in their environment
• how processors assess cattle to meet the needs of their customers
• how to make better use of processor feedback information.

The visit included a tour of the boning and packing room of the Teys plant. The group heard about plant logistics, how the plant processes and markets each part of the animal, and how producers can avoid penalties or discounts in stock consigned to this plant.

Following the tour to Teys, they met with Mark Inglis, farm assurance and supply chain manager with Thomas Foods International. Mark discussed processor feedback data and how producers can make best use of this data to optimise returns by improving the quality of animals consigned to processors, and to ensure that they are turning off animals that meet market and consumer expectations. 

Mark also touched on sustainability and natural capital accounting, highlighting the need for producers to understand their carbon account and how this might impact their business.

Another outcome of this session was an improved understanding of what determines eating quality, and what producers can do to ensure through on-farm management to ensure that this important trait is not compromised. 

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