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Thursday 8 May 2025
Drought support for south west farmers
Agriculture Victoria continues to support drought-affected farmers in south west Victoria with an ongoing program of events. Check out the events being delivered as part of the Drought Support Package.
Stay up to date with what’s on at the calendar of events.
Bushfire recovery support
If your business or industry has been impacted by the 2024-25 bushfires in western Victoria, support is available to assist with your immediate and long-term recovery. Upcoming supports include:
- Business Recovery Advisory Service – free business support for impacted businesses, via telephone, online or in-person for impacted businesses, to find the right strategies for long-term recovery.
- Business Bushfire Recovery Grant Program – $5,000 grants to small businesses, including eligible primary producers, that have experienced significant disruptions and revenue losses due to the bushfires.
These programs are jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements for the Western Victoria Bushfires which commenced in December 2024 (AGRN 1166).
Register your interest to receive updates on the 2024-25 Western Victoria Bushfire Recovery grants and other related supports as they become available.
Boost pastures using effluent
Rachael Campbell, Dairy Industry Development Officer
Benefit your pastures by emptying your dairy effluent ponds. The extra water and nutrients can kick start growth, ready for follow up rain.
Effluent ponds are designed to contain effluent over winter, so must be emptied before the start of the wet period.
Although it is getting closer to winter, if soils are still dry, now is the time to ensure your storage ponds are relatively empty.
Effluent is a great resource, however, if the pasture plants are dead, an application of effluent will not revive them.
If the plants are a honey colour with some sign of green leaves, then an application of effluent will provide a great boost.
Consider the following when applying effluent:
- avoid grazing paddocks until at least 21 days after an effluent application to reduce the risk of nitrate poisoning
- transition cows shouldn’t be grazed on high potassium paddocks to avoid metabolic problems – this includes paddocks where effluent has been applied
- young stock shouldn’t have access to adult stock areas or areas where effluent is stored or has been applied
- when applying effluent to new pasture or crops, wait until the crop is established, as effluent is often high in salts that can burn the seedlings
- rotate effluent application paddocks regularly to make the best use of nutrients contained in effluent and avoid overloading a small area
- soil test effluent application paddocks and modify fertiliser applications as appropriate.
An effluent test is recommended before application, as nutrient levels vary depending on several factors and this way the effluent can be applied at appropriate rates to benefit your pastures.
Find more information about drought and dry seasonal conditions support.
Apply for an On-Farm Drought Infrastructure grant
Eligible drought-affected farmers in the south west can now apply for up to $5,000 in co-contribution grants to support establishing on-farm infrastructure such as:
- water infrastructure upgrades (pipes, tanks, troughs, dams)
- stock containment areas
- grain and fodder storage.
Visit the dry seasons webpage for more information or call 136 186.
Plant biosecurity services changes
Changes and improvements to how you move plants and plant products into Victoria are coming.
From mid-2025, some of our plant biosecurity services will be delivered through Agriculture Victoria Connect, a new online system streamlining access to registrations, licensing and permits.
What’s new?
- Submit plant consignment notifications
- Apply for or renew compliance agreements
- Request verification inspections.
You can create a profile and register your business now to make sure you’re ready
Working towards a safer future for farming families
Fourth-generation Wimmera farmer Scott Arnold knows that safety improvements can have a big impact – not only on productivity but on peace of mind.
The Very Fast Break out now
The Very Fast Break seasonal climate update video clip for May is now available.
We love to receive your feedback. If you have comments, questions or feedback, please contact Dale Grey at the.break@agriculture.vic.gov.au
What's On
Details about these events and more can be found on our website.
Using carbon calculators – Benefits for your business - Hamilton and Casterton
When: Monday 12 May, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Where: South West TAFE 200 Ballarat Road, Hamilton
When: Monday 19 May, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Where: Old Courthouse, 31 Henty Street, Casterton
Learn the benefits for your farm business. Coordinated by Glenelg Hopkins CMA and presented by Chris Blore from Agriculture Victoria.
Topics:
- Carbon accounting explained. Why would I do it?
- Carbon calculators – Which one is best for my business?
- Data - What do I have? What do I need? What else is it good for?
- Know your goal - Reduce emissions. Increase efficiency (kg CO2/kg product)
- Using a calculator – Know your number. (Demo data trial).
- Test your management – Tweak your system to test and improve efficiency.
Talk the Talk Workshop - Moonambel and Raglan
Talk the Talk is a free, practical workshop designed to help local communities build confidence to support farmers facing mental health challenges. In the 3-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to recognise signs of distress, use observation and listening skills, and start meaningful conversations. Whether you’re a service provider, supplier or neighbour — this workshop gives you the tools to make a difference.
Wednesday 14 May:
Raglan: 12 - 3:30 pm, Raglan Hall 4 Codrington Street
Moonambel: 6 - 9:30 pm, Moonambel Recreation Reserve, 6190 Stawell-Avoca Road.
Soils - Sustainable Productive and Profitable - workshop
When: 14 May, 11 am to 2 pm
Where: HIRL Bandicoot Room, 333 North Boundary Road, Hamilton
Young Ag Professionals join Southern Farming Systems and Glenelg Hopkins CMA in Hamilton for a 'Soils - Sustainable, Productive and Profitable' workshop.
The workshop will explore:
- Understanding and identifying soil constraints
- Reading and interpreting soil test results
- Making fertiliser decisions that are sustainable, productive and profitable
Two-day Young Farmer Business Bootcamp – Hamilton
When: Thursday 15 and Friday 16 May, 9 am to 4 pm
Where: Hamilton Smart Farm, 915 Napier Road, Hamilton
Are you a young farmer looking to upskill? Agriculture Victoria is running a 2 day business bootcamp that aims to support the next generation of farmers, owners and managers to improve their skills and management practices.
The business bootcamp will use farm case study examples, providing participants with the skills to help them manage their farm business now, as well as planning for their business into the future. After the bootcamp, one-on-one follow-up sessions will be available to participants with the presenters.
The 2 day bootcamp will be delivered by Adam and Cath at Rural People Co, covering the following topics:
- leadership on the farm
- the importance of farm business management
- introduction to budgets
- using financial data to support informed decision making
- managing risk during challenging seasons
- buying land, leasing land and share farming.
BetterBeef and BestWool/BestLamb Network Roadshow
Agriculture Victoria’s BetterBeef and BestWool/BestLamb network are hitting the road!
The 2025 Beef and Sheep Network Roadshow will bring top industry experts to four locations across Victoria, delivering the latest insights on pastures, livestock, and farm business management.
Wednesday 28 May: Edenhope and District Community Centre
Thursday 29 May: Stirling Place Community Centre, Dunkeld
Meeting the needs of your livestock: feeding by-products
When: Wednesday May 28, 12:30 pm.
Join our webinar about using by-products to meet nutritional needs.
By-products can provide a source of energy and protein, supplementing traditional feed sources.
Agriculture Victoria’s Brett Davidson, Regional Manager Dairy Services, will bring his extensive knowledge in feed management to discuss types of by-products, nutritional benefits, and potential considerations when using these feeds.
Topics:
- Suitable by-products
- Meeting your stock’s nutritional needs
- Potential considerations including storage and feed out.
Improving Pastures with Lisa Warn
When: Wednesday 28 May, 9:30 am - 3 pm
Where: Freshwater Creek Hall, 445 Dickens Road, Fresh Water Creek.
Join Lisa Warn to learn more about managing your pastures and how to improve them. Lisa is well known for her agricultural consulting and research with a long history of improving pasture for grazing industries.
This event is hosted by the Surfcoast and Bellarine BestWool/BestLamb group (BestWool/BestLamb is a partnership between Agriculture Victoria and Australian Wool Innovation) and is part of the Farm Business Resilience Program.
This event is also part of a Producer Demonstration site funded by Meat and Livestock Victoria and Agriculture Victoria.
Drought Resilience 2025
When: Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 July
Where: Deakin University, Geelong
Join experts from all disciplines to learn about and discuss the latest drought resilience research.
Contacting Agriculture Victoria
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 us through the National Relay Service at 133 677 or visit the National Relay Service.
All contact points can be found at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us
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