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| Digging deeper to better understand your soils |
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When: Monday 4 December, 2:30 to 7 pm
Where: Karoonda Park, Gelantipy
Register here.
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| Business of farming farm valuation and leveraging |
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When: Tuesday 5 December, 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Where: Lindenow Pub, Lindenow
Register here.
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The Mackinnon Project invites you to get the latest expert advice on management during challenging times at the first of 3 seminars in North East Victoria.
Topics covered at this first session will include:
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Changing management with low commodity prices
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Is this dry period different to others?
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Update on Mackinnon project activities (Liver fluke management in cattle, cattle worms and finetuning your calving time).
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Irrigation — A tool to mitigate a more variable climate?
For further information or to register please contact one of the following:
Leah Tyrell, Veterinary Consultant
M: 0417 038 758
E: ldtyrell@unimelb.edu.au
Elysia Ling, Technical Assistant
M: 0406 728 922
E: elysia.ling@unimelb.edu.au
Chris Mirams
M: 0409 205 235.
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Agriculture Victoria and Murrindindi Shire Council are offering free feed quality tests for Murrindindi farmers to check the quality of your feed sources. With a limited number of tests available, register now as tests are only available until 7 December.
This workshop will cover:
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Feed test result interpretation
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Feeding Livestock website
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Basic feed budgeting
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Flood recovery support.
To register for your feed test and to attend the workshop contact Toni Dakis, Agricultural Recovery Officer on 0428 975 728 or at Toni.Dakis@agriculture.vic.gov.au.
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Join us for this interactive workshop as Byron O’Keefe will discuss key livestock handling challenges and issues and how good stock handling makes for a productive business.
This workshop is part of the farm business resilience program supporting farmers to build stronger more productive agricultural businesses. This workshop is the first of 4 workshops in the Beef Farm Business Success Workshop Series – Colac area.
You will leave each workshop with new skills and an action plan to achieve your business goals.
Register here to secure your place for the first workshop. You can also register your interest for the other workshops and more details will be provided when available.
For more information contact Hannah Manning on 0400 532 595 or at hannah.manning@agriculture.vic.gov.au.
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This webinar features John Francis, Director of agriculture consultancy firm Agrista who will discuss how to assess and manage business risk, focusing on rising interest rates, falling livestock prices, and important drivers of success in commodity production.
The webinar covers:
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How to stay focused during tough economic times, particularly around cost control
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How a disciplined approach to business management can still generate good profits when commodity prices fall
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The key to driving a margin during times of low commodity prices
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The need to start the journey now – it is never too late to focus on the numbers.
To register visit the MLA website.
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A picture tells 1000 words and having a map is an easy way to convey important information about your farm.
A farm map can be used to share information to family, employees, visitors and contractors, including farm features such as the location of paddocks, gates, dams, tanks, troughs and pipelines.
This information can be critical during an emergency such as fire or flood, or an emergency animal disease outbreak.
A farm map is also an essential aspect of your farm biosecurity plan and a requirement for your LPA property risk assessment and Biosecurity Management Plan.
The ‘How to make a farm map’ newsletter can help you develop your own.
This newsletter is part of the Backyard Biosecurity newsletter series. Each edition will focus on a different topic, with practical tips about how to implement good biosecurity practices.
Subscribe to learn more about managing the health and welfare of your animals, weeds, pest animals, biosecurity and much more.
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It’s long been the easy-access gateway to Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), making it easier for people to access MLA’s extensive catalogue of products and services.
But now, myMLA has relaunched and is ready to offer you much, much more.
The popular member information portal has a fresh new look and is a more streamlined version – easier to navigate than ever before.
While it still offers producers a customised dashboard with content tailored to individual preferences, the new myMLA delivers a suite of additional new features.
Logon to myMLA for:
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Quick access to MLA’s services, including LPA, NLIS, MSA, myFeedback, eNVD and Sheep Genetics
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A gateway to all MLA tools and resources, including feedbase, livestock productivity and eLearning tools.
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A localised seven-day weather forecast
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Customised market information based on your livestock species and location
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Events in your area or for your livestock species
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Industry news.
You can also:
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check and update membership details
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check levy payments
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subscribe to MLA's suite of e-newsletters tailored to your preferences.
To find out more, or sign up to myMLA visit the MLA website.
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| Farm fire preparedness tip – stock containment |
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Where will you place your stock during an emergency?
It’s crucial to have a refuge 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 at agriculture.vic.gov.au/bushfires
Download a copy of the toolkit.
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| Free financial counselling with RFCS |
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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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| Join the traceability community |
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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.
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| Tier 2 flood recovery grant claims due 31 May 2024 |
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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
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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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| PRODUCTIVITY AND 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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This webinar features Dr Penny Schulz, of Shulz Livestock, who discusses the following:
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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.
Click here to watch.
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This webinar features Basil Doonan, of Pinion Advisory, who outlines ways to deal with the surplus, while better utilising feed to reduce waste.
The webinar covers:
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Measurement – pasture supply and animal demand
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Dealing with surplus
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Maintaining persistency and quality
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Prioritising feed based on animal needs
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Dealing in liveweight
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Marginal cost of conserving and feeding.
Click here to watch.
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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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| NEW ONLINE LAMB AND YOUNG CATTLE INDICATORS LAUNCHED |
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New online indicators for lambs and young cattle have been launched by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) as precursors to indicators combining live and online sale results.
The MLA said the online selling of sheep and cattle has been growing in popularity in recent years and the new indicators were launched in response to this growing marketplace.
The two indicators launched are the Online Young Cattle Indicator (OYCI) and the Online Lamb Indicator (OLI).
The National Livestock Reporting System (NLRS) reports on over 50 physical saleyard markets producing 16 price indicators that are reported on a daily, weekly and fortnightly basis.
These indicators, along with accompanying market reports, drive more than 70% of MLA website traffic and cover about one quarter of all livestock transactions.
Prior to the launch of the online indicators, Stephen Bignell, MLA’s Market Information Manager said MLA’s cattle and sheep/lamb indicators did not incorporate any online sale data, but the intent was to incorporate online and physical sale data in future indicators.
“That is definitely where we want to go to; to have a national lamb indicator for the same specs that would include online (and physical) sales.”
MLA also wanted to produce an online mutton indicator after the first two online indicators were tested.
He said by developing online indicators published on the MLA website, MLA would open-up greater information on this important area of the market.
“Online sales have been steadily growing in popularity as an alternative for producers to market their livestock.
“The online indicators provide producers with a greater breath of data then they’ve previously had. It increases the sales-channels that MLA reports on,” Mr Bignell said.
The sale information is recorded through the online platforms and presented to MLA in a clean format that is simple to input into indicator frameworks.
“Online marketplaces boomed during the national rebuild between 2020-2022. Even as the herd and flock rebuild matures, we’ve seen online marketplaces remain popular,” Mr Bignell said.
The OYCI and OLI follow the same structure and model of current indicators published on the MLA website, providing a useable interface for producers and other stakeholders. They will capture cattle and lamb sales on online platforms that match predefined specifications.
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| SHEEP PRODUCER INTENTION SURVEY RESULTS OCTOBER 2023 |
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Three times a year, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) run a joint survey to collect sheepmeat industry livestock numbers and lamb production expectations.
Production and producer intentions are regularly monitored to generate better forward-looking information that allow producers to make the most efficient decisions, with the results of these surveys forming the basis of MLA's Industry Projections.
Feedback was recently sought from producers over the period 29 September to 8 November 2023, with the research having three primary objectives:
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Measure and report on flock population, demographics, sheepmeat and wool supply information and producer production intentions
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Ensure estimates are reliable and based on sufficiently large sample sizes to ensure the robustness and accuracy of estimates. The sample should be representative or weighted to be representative of the producer population structure
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Provide capacity to explore and investigate results at a smaller area and segment level. This will include – among other things – across states and MLA reporting regions.
Producers were initially invited to complete an online survey with the final sample complemented with a smaller number of phone interviews.
A total of 1,709 producers from across Australia responded to the survey invitation. The feedback was then weighted, using the latest available ABS data, to produce industry estimates.
Click here to read the outcomes of this survey.
To review the outcomes of previous surveys visit the MLA website.
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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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| WHAT'S THE BEST TIME OF YEAR FOR CALVING? |
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“Spring vs Autumn” calving has been a much-debated topic across southern Australian farming regions for many years with minimal true research being performed.
This is about to change with new research being conducted through the University of Melbourne.
The chosen time of calving can have significant financial and practical implications on farm businesses.
Whether a property’s primary focus is putting weight onto their weaners, getting their second calvers back in calf or helping their cows and heifers as much as possible during lactation, the time of calving is crucial.
Similarly, the time of calving can, in many cases, dictate the timing of other farming activities.
John Webb Ware, Andrew Fisher, Leah Tyrell and Georgina Champion de Crespigny of The Mackinnon Project through The University of Melbourne are currently conducting a research project titled: Investigating the ideal time of calving in beef cattle across southern Australia.
The aim of this research is to determine the ideal calving time across southern Australia, based on gross margin and pasture utilisation.
The outcome of this research will not only settle the discussion of “Spring vs Autumn” calving in your area but is intended to be able to recommend the ideal calving time down to the month.
The researchers are seeking the help of beef cattle producers to help with this research. They ask that you complete a survey regarding your current farm management practices.
If you do not calve down beef cattle on your property, then you are not requested to complete the survey.
The researchers would be incredibly grateful if you could also forward information to any other beef cattle producers in your networks in southern Australia, to collect more data on this important topic.
Click here to complete the survey online.
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| BEEF PRODUCER INTENTION SURVEY |
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Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has launched its Beef Producer Intentions Survey, designed to provide greater insight into the size, shape and movement of the national beef herd.
The Beef Producer Intentions Survey focus’ on Australia’s grassfed cattle producers and will deliver to industry valuable herd demographic data, sentiment insights and other vital herd profiling information on Australia’s cattle herd.
Importantly the survey will also provide an indication of producers’ intentions over the upcoming 12 months. This information will be available at a national, state and herd size level, creating a valuable industry resource.
The survey has been initiated, in part, because of the cessation this year of the gathering of beef herd data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). ABS was unable to continue the series because lack of producer participation made the results statistically unreliable.
There has been extensive industry dialogue over the past 12 months about the accuracy of reporting of Australia’s beef herd size, its trend, and dynamics.
Results will contribute to better industry forecasting outcomes, providing greater insights to allow industry to make good decisions at industry-wide, regional and herd level.
Producers who complete the survey can elect to receive a benchmarking scorecard which will compare their performance against similar producers in their state and of a similar herd size. Participation is strongly encouraged for all grassfed beef producers.
The Beef Producer Intentions Survey will remain open until Wednesday, 13 December.
The online questionnaire takes no more than 10-15 minutes for cattle producers to fill-out – a very small time investment in helping deliver better industry insight and intelligence.
All survey responses will remain confidential, with only aggregated results released to the public.
The survey is not focussed on financial information, but specifically around building knowledge of herd numbers, composition, and changes.
The information will be available at a national, state and herd-size level, creating a valuable industry resource.
All beef producers paying grassfed levies are eligible to participate – not just MLA members.
The project has an ‘aspirational’ target of achieving at least 3000 producer responses from across Australia, in order to make the data reliable.
A similar annual survey has been conducted across the sheepmeat industry for at least the last ten years, with strong levels of participation.
In fact the annual lamb survey engagement has exceeded expectations every year. Lamb and mutton producers clearly recognise the benefit to the entire industry of robust flock data.
Producers with diverse herd sizes are encouraged to participate with the aim to capture the scope of production of beef producers of all sizes – not just the large players.
To read more about the importance of the survey click here.
Click here to access the Beef Producer Intentions Survey.
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