• Avoid exposure losses following shearing
• Verdict upheld for Gippsland farmer guilty of animal cruelty
• Feedback sought on dingo conservation and management
• Emergency Management Training - Livestock Industry Liaison Exercise
• Latest The Fast Break newsletter now available
• Celebrating the best of Victoria this Melbourne Show
• Early weaning beef calves – pitfalls and opportunities
• Applications for the Rural Women’s Network Leadership and Mentoring program closing soon
• Telehandler licence training
• Dry seasons support
• Fox and wild dog bounty
• Free financial counselling with RFCS
• In case you missed it
• What's on

Dr Jeff Cave, Agriculture Victoria Senior Veterinary Officer

A sheep’s fleece is a great insulator against the cold, so imagine the effect when it’s suddenly gone. 

A freshly shorn sheep may experience a three-fold increase in heat loss, therefore highly prone to hypothermia.

Freshly shorn sheep are at greatest risk of cold stress in the first three days (or nights) after shearing, and remain at risk for up to two weeks, with mortalities seen in some mobs up to four weeks after shearing. 

Although there is little wool growth, acclimatisation and considerable skin thickening occurs after shearing. 

It is therefore important to monitor predicted weather conditions before putting shorn sheep into a paddock after shearing.

The impact of cold weather, particularly when combined with wet and windy conditions, can have severe impacts on sheep.

The effect of cold weather will depend on its duration, rainfall, wind speed and temperature.

The type of weather most likely to cause catastrophic sheep losses due to hypothermia is usually associated with the passage of a strong cold front or a rain-bearing depression.

Sheep grazier alerts are issued when a combination of rain, wind and low temperatures reaches a critical level.

If a sheep grazier alert has been received at the end of shearing, shed as many sheep as possible and provide hay for the duration. Once the bad weather has passed, move the sheep to a paddock with adequate shelter and continue to provide supplementary feed.

In areas prone to winter storms a 'cover comb' or 'snow comb' can be used when shearing.

Once cold, freshly shorn sheep may become extremely difficult to move so always put shorn sheep into a protected paddock with plenty of shelter from the cold.  Off-shears paddocks should be small and well protected from cold winds by relatively impermeable shelter belts.

Extra feed should be provided to sheep for up to four weeks following shearing to meet their increased energy requirements.

Shearing a month before lambing encourages ewes to seek shelter and hence protection for their lambs. However, pre-lambing shearing must only be considered if ewes are in good condition and have free access to good feed and shelter. Heavily pregnant ewes should not be subject to the handling and feed deprivation that shearing involves. 

For further information please contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer, or in NSW your Local Land Services.

Gippsland farmer Jeremy Rich has failed recently in his attempt to have his conviction and sentence overturned in the County Court of Victoria.

Mr Rich was appealing against his 2022 conviction on 16 charges, including one of aggravated cruelty, following the death of numerous sheep in his care.

In 2022, the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court heard the charges related to a large outbreak of flystrike and gastrointestinal parasitism in a flock of more than 2,300 sheep at Mr Rich’s property between March and April 2020.

Agriculture Victoria officers attended the property in early March 2020 in response to a complaint concerning sick and dying sheep. Officers attended a further nine separate occasions and issued several Notices to Comply. Over this time numerous sheep with flystrike were observed, 3 were humanely euthanised by officers and 41 recently deceased sheep were recorded.

Agriculture Victoria Compliance Manager, Daniel Bode, said despite receiving numerous Notices to Comply, no action was taken by Mr Rich.

A significant number of sheep died and were either scavenged, partially eaten, removed or buried in a large pit.

Following this Contested Hearing in the Magistrates’ Court in 2022, Mr Rich was convicted and fined $50,000.00, plus costs of $4,005, and a 10-year disqualification order was imposed.

The matter was reheard on appeal in the County Court in 2024. Mr Rich was convicted on 13 charges, fined $50,000 and ordered to pay additional costs of $40,386 to the Department for the running of the appeal. The court also re-imposed the 10-year disqualification order.

Mr Bode said the weight of the 10-year disqualification order is substantial and will ensure that animals are protected from further pain and suffering.

‘It sends a very clear message that those who continually commit offences against animals should not have the privilege and opportunity to care for them in the future,’ Mr Bode said.

‘Apart from the obvious pain and suffering of the animals, animal welfare breaches can jeopardise Victoria’s reputation as a humane and responsible producer of food, which can, in turn, affect all producers.

‘This is a reminder to all livestock producers that animal cruelty will not be tolerated by the Victorian Government or our community.’

Anyone wishing to make a specific complaint regarding livestock welfare can contact Agriculture Victoria on 136 186 or aw.complaint@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Farmers, Traditional Owners and environmental groups across the state are being called upon to help shape the review of dingo conservation and wild dog management in Victoria.

Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence and Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos recently announced face-to-face and online consultation as part of the review. 

Consultation will take place in early September and include five in-person sessions for farmers across regional Victoria and one online. These sessions will build on previous surveys and consultation and to appropriately balance the protection of livestock and the conservation of dingoes.

This targeted consultation will seek feedback on the economic and social impacts of the dingo unprotection order.

This consultation will build on the government’s understanding of the different views about the current order. This has been informed by recent stakeholder engagement, correspondence and data collection including the livestock predation survey conducted 

The Ministers for Environment and Agriculture will jointly consider this feedback, alongside the latest scientific research and data, in determining the future policy settings beyond 1 October 2024, when the current dingo unprotection order is due to expire. 

Dingoes are listed as a threatened species under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975. The dingo unprotection order only permits control activities on specified private land and within a 3km buffer zone on public land in the east of Victoria.

To find out more about the consultation visit our website.

Collaboration between industry and government is key during an emergency animal disease (EAD) outbreak, and the Livestock Industry Liaison plays an important role in this response.

If you work in the livestock industry and want to learn more about this role, we have an opportunity for you. From 29 - 30 October, Agriculture Victoria and Animal Health Australia will host Exercise Audiatur —a scenario-based exercise responding an EAD outbreak.

This exercise will take place at Agriculture Victoria’s Attwood Centre, providing valuable insights into how emergency responses are coordinated.

Registration Details 
To participate, contact your Peak Industry Body to submit an Expression of Interest before Friday, 6 September.

For more information click here.

This newsletter details oceanic and atmospheric climate driver activity over the last month and summarises three-month model predictions for the Pacific and Indian oceans, rainfall and temperature for Victoria.

To subscribe or to view the latest issue click here.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the world are expected to visit the Melbourne Royal Show this September and experience the best agriculture, food, and entertainment Victoria has to offer.

Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence joined Melbourne Royal President and Chair Matt Coleman and Chief Executive Brad Jenkins recently to launch Victoria’s largest and most iconic annual community event.

Running from Thursday, 26 September to Sunday 6 October, the Show provides a unique and valuable opportunity to promote and celebrate the diversity of the Victorian agricultural industry alongside plenty of exciting activities and entertainment for all ages to enjoy.

This year’s show received a $40,000 sponsorship from Agriculture Victoria to promote initiatives that reinforce positive biosecurity measures that underpin our world class food and fibre products.

The show includes exhibitions of animals and agriculture, award-winning food and beverage experiences, arts and crafts, along with carnival rides, showbags and live entertainment. It also will provide plenty of educational opportunities aimed at children that help explain and build a connection with rural living.

Last year’s show saw more than 450,000 people pass through the gates over the 11 days, providing an estimated total economic benefit of over $220 million to the state.

The government also offers support to the state’s many other agricultural shows through the $300,000 Agricultural and Pastoral Society Grants Program. The grants go towards projects that help encourage community involvement in agricultural shows.

2024 Melbourne Royal Show tickets are now available to purchase. To buy tickets today or to learn more about the activities on offer visit royalshow.com.au.

Nick Linden, Agriculture Victoria Livestock Development Officer

Driven by low feed availability, producers with autumn calving cows may be considering weaning calves earlier than normal. 

Early weaning is an immediate way to reduce feed requirements on farm. By separating the cow and calf there is a potential reduction in daily feed intake of up to 24 %.

As an example, a six month pregnant cow with a 250kg calf at foot will consume in the order of 15kg of feed per day (150 MJ of energy) – if we split the cow and calf into two individual units, the dry cow could maintain herself on about 6 kg DM per day (64 MJ of energy), and the calf would be gaining 0.5kg per day consuming 5 kg DM (50 MJ of energy) per day. 

The exact amount of feed required/saved will depend on the quality of the feed on offer – but the principle remains the same. As soon as the calf is removed from the cow, she will partition energy back to her own requirements, enabling the higher quality feed to be prioritised to the calf.

Weaned calves can then become the priority mob for feeding. If you have a limited supply of high-quality feed, it doesn’t have to be processed through the cow into milk for the calf to perform. It may be more efficient to offer it directly to the calves, without having to maintain the mature cow. 

Poorer quality pasture can then be offered to the dry cows – which can result in significant savings. 

While cow condition is often a key determinant of whether to early wean, calf condition is also important to consider - calves with dry, coarse coats are most likely not receiving enough milk from their mothers and may be better off having direct access to higher quality feed. 

In most situations when early weaning you would aim to have calves at least 12 weeks of age or around 100kg live weight.  However, if cow condition and survival is a significant risk, calves can be weaned as light as 80kg.  If needing to wean calves at these lighter weights, it is recommended that you seek specific advice from your veterinarian.

If you will be supplementing calves after weaning, it’s good practice to expose the calves to the supplement prior to weaning, while still on their mums.  This not only helps educate the weaners to what they will be eating, but also gives the rumen bacteria time to adjust to a change in diet. 

It's worth remembering that weaners have specific requirements. The younger or lighter they are, the greater their protein requirement will be – as an indication, weaners are likely to need feed that is 16% crude protein. 

Depending on the size of the weaners, the physical capacity of the rumen may also be an issue – so all feed needs to have a high concentration of energy.  Feed for weaners will need to be at least 11 megajoules of energy per kg DM.

If you don’t know how much protein or energy is in your feed – doing a feed test is the best way to be sure your animals are getting fed the nutrition that they need.

Aim for a calf growth rate of at least 0.6kg/day until they are heavier than 250kg. This will ensure that later growth rates are not compromised.

Weaners are highly susceptible to internal parasites. This, combined with the increased risks of parasites when cattle have been grazing short pastures – makes this year a potentially risky one for parasites. 

While cattle growth rates give a good indication, a worm egg count taken 14 days after drenching is a useful way to assess the effectiveness of your drenching program. 

Vaccination for clostridial diseases is also important for your weaners.

While early weaning is an option to reduce overall feed requirements and look after cow condition, it’s not for everyone. It does require more intensive management and works best for producers that have a shorter more condensed calving period. 

If considering weaning calves earlier than normal, it’s well worth doing a feed budget /plan to ensure there are adequate feed and resources on hand.

If you haven’t early weaned before, consider doing it with one mob initially. Cow mobs under the most pressure may include the first calf heifers or the oldest cows – so either of these groups could be suitable candidates.

Whether early weaning or weaning at the usual time, there are lots of things to consider. What are the feed and animal health requirements? How will I wean - cold turkey separation at either ends of the farm, in the yards or along a fence line?

Whatever way you do it, it’s an important part of an animal's life and is reminiscent of the old football adage – while you don’t often win a premiership in the first quarter, you can lose one. 

Weaning is a critical point to get right and set your animals up for future productivity.

Read more here.

All rural and regional based women working across the agriculture supply chain are encouraged to apply for the Rural Women's Network Leadership program.

This program is being delivered by LeadershipVic over 2 residential retreats and aims to develop and empower women as leaders and change makers in their careers and in their communities.

All study and accommodation costs to participate in the program are covered, with additional capped allowances for childcare and travel provided to those who require this support.

Applications close 2 September 2024.

Click here for more information.

Now available: Licence training for non-slewing telehandlers with rated capacity more than 3 tonne.

Learn more and sign up at worksafe.vic.gov.au/telehandler

Have you updated your plan for the current seasonal conditions?

Having a solid drought plan can help you with decision making in adverse conditions. 

Check out the dry seasons and drought support on the Agriculture Victoria website today.

Victoria’s bounty collections continue.

Please check our website for the latest information, collection centres and dates. Click here.

For any assistance, please speak to our bounty collection staff on collection days or call our customer service centre on 136 186.

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 visit the website or call 1300 771 741.

Preparing East Gippsland for a showdown with fall armyworm

Farmers in Victoria are encouraged to keep an eye out for Fall Armyworm (FAW), a newly established pest in the state and attend an information session to learn more.

Read the full media release here.

Connecting Victorian producers to global markets

The Victorian Government is backing regional farmers and food and beverage businesses to increase their exports and explore new markets by partnering with the Australian Government.

Read the full media release here.

Details about Agriculture Victoria events can be found in one spot on our website. Visit the Events page to keep in touch with upcoming events.

Drop by site 74 to say g'day and talk about:

• farm biosecurity 
• emergency animal diseases
• climate resilience and recovery
• your on-farm biosecurity plan, plus pick up a biosecurity sign.

Kids taking part in the ‘Udder Truth’ competition can visit the Ag Vic stall to ask a biosecurity question on their quest! 

Our fantastic brightly painted cow and sheep sculptures will also be on display.

Join us for the future planning Farm Business Success workshops.

Gippsland farmers are invited to attend these free workshop series to strengthen their business and plan for managing risks in a changing climate.

Sessions will cover:

• action planning and farm risk management
• farm finances and profitable decision making
• managing people and farm safety
• adaptation and natural resource improvement.

Join us to understand the potential impacts of fall armyworm. 

Farmers, employees and agronomists are invited to attend this free workshop in East Gippsland to learn more about this emerging pest. 

The session will include:

• pheromone blends
• host plant preference
• identification
• resistances surveillance and management
• economic thresholds
• Q&A session
• QLD FAW update.

When: Tuesday 3 September, 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, lunch included. 

Where: Lindenow Farmers Home Hotel, 167-171 Main Road, Lindenow.

Register here.

When: Wednesday 4 September, anytime between 8:30 and 10:30 am

Where: Omeo Memorial Hall, 179 Day Ave, Omeo.

The government is reviewing its approach to dingo management to most appropriately balance the protection of livestock and the conservation of dingoes.

Our understanding about dingoes in Victoria has evolved as a result of new scientific research. Evidence suggests that a significant proportion of wild dogs are pure dingoes, not hybrids as previously believed.

No decision has been made yet on future policy settings beyond 1 October when the current unprotection order is set to expire.

The livestock predation survey showed that many landowners would like a further opportunity to meet in person to discuss how they are impacted by current regulatory settings and to provide views on how Victoria could achieve a balance between dingo conservation and predation management. If you have a question for DEECA or wish to provide further input, please drop by between 8:30am and 10:30am to speak with senior DEECA staff.

Feedback from this consultation will build on our understanding of the economic and social impacts of the dingo unprotection order, as informed by recent stakeholder engagement, correspondence, and data collection exercises.

Light refreshments along with tea and coffee will be provided at the drop-in sessions.

DEECA values the insight you can bring to this issue, and we hope you can join us at short notice.

Find out more.

Growing more feed

When: Wednesday 4 September, 12:30 to 1:30 pm

Where: online. 

Register here.

Fiona Baker, Agriculture Victoria Livestock Extension Officer, will discuss best practice grazing management. Fiona comes with a wealth of knowledge in pasture management. During a challenging season, Fiona’s advice can help you make your grazing system go a bit further.

Farm dam management

When: Wednesday 11 September, 12:30 to 1:30 pm.

Where: online. 

Register here. 

Clem Sturmfels, Agriculture Victoria Land Management Extension Officer will talk about dam water storage. Clem will cover best management techniques and go through tools for calculating how much water is in a dam.

Webinars will be recorded and shared to all registered participants.

When: Tuesday 17 September, 10 am to 1 pm

Where: 165 Mewburn Park Road Tinamba.

Register here.

Join us for a practical demonstration at Tom Gannon's farm in Tinamba, where we'll showcase the successful implementation of a self-cleaning filter system for effluent application through different irrigation systems.

This innovative project highlights how Tom's new effluent filter has enhanced irrigation and fertigation efficiency as well as environmental management by preventing blockages and improving nutrient distribution.

What to expect:

• live demonstration of the self-cleaning pontoon and inline filters in action
• how effluent can be utilised through both centre pivot and pipe and riser irrigation systems
• discussion with Tom about his experience with how the filters have improved irrigation uniformity and reduced nutrient and maintenance requirements
• free barbecue lunch after the demonstration and discussion

This demonstration project has been supported in partnership with Agriculture Victoria and the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.

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 Cumbre Consultants, is inviting you to join other farmers in a free online 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.

Course dates:

• Monday 2 September, 11 am to 2 pm
• Friday 6 September, 11 am to 2 pm
• Monday 9 September, 11 am to 2 pm
• Monday 30 September, 12 to 2 pm.

Location: Online.

Register here.

Come meet Gippsland Hoof Cares, Dean Rowley, and learn about hoof health and care in wet conditions and preparing your cows for the months ahead. Learn how to identify lameness, caring for cows, how to avoid lameness, what causes it and how we can help and care for cows that may suffer lameness. Discussions and questions about practices are welcome. 

South Gippsland: 
Monday 16 September, 11 am - 2 pm
Yarram, on farm. Address will be sent via text before event.
Register here.

MID: 
Tuesday 24 September, 11 am - 2 pm
Riverslea, on farm. Address will be sent via text before event.
Register here.

West Gippsland: 
Friday 4 October, 11 am - 2 pm
Labertouche, on farm. Address will be sent via text before event.
Register here. 

When: Wednesday 2 October, 10 am to 1 pm. 

Where: 83 Punt Lane, Clydebank. 

Register here.

Join us for an exciting showcase of the automated irrigation system that's enabled Wilandra Farms to maximise their solar energy utilisation.

Sandra Jefford and Wilco Droppert will discuss their decision making process, what they learned along the way and how this system has impacted their management of the farm.

Gain insight into the “SmartBox” solar and irrigation automation system developed by Steve Soutar, CEO of Alternative Energy Innovations.

What to expect:

• live (automated) demonstration of the centre pivots and fixed sprinklers that run off the solar energy generated on farm
• hear from Sandra and Wilco, and ask them any of your burning questions
• discussion with Steve Soutar about the process of system automation
• free barbecue lunch.

This demonstration project has been supported in partnership with Agriculture Victoria and the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.

Enjoying the Gippsland Ag News? Then why not forward to a friend or subscribe yourself.

It's easy – simply click this link.

Call 136 186 from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call (except for mobiles and public telephones).

If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment contact the National Relay Service on 133 677 or www.relayservice.gov.au.

All contact points can be found at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/about/contact-us

Don't forget to check out Agriculture Victoria's social media sites for up-to-date information and news.