In this edition: $66.8 million for drought resilience programs, free Fire Preparedness Toolkit, Biosecurity Reference Group EOI extended, Waterlogging webinar recording, P-fixing soils survey, H5 bird flu and locust updates, and more.
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Thursday 3 September 2026
Backing Victorian farmers through drought
Victorian farmers and regional communities will have better tools to manage future drought conditions.
The Australian and Victorian Governments are investing more than $66.8 million to continue the Victorian Farm Business Resilience Program and Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program through to 2029.
This funding is in addition to the Victorian Government's $146.5 million Drought Support Package for Victorian farmers.
The Farm Business Resilience Program gives farmers practical skills to make informed decisions on their farms.
Update your farm fire preparedness plan
Agriculture Victoria’s Fire Preparedness Toolkit can help you develop or review your pre-season planning.
Use the 8 checklists and templates in the toolkit to update your planning:
- Business preparedness
- Family/staff briefing
- Farm preparedness
- Building/vegetation maintenance
- Equipment and asset maintenance
- Water supply
- Livestock management
- High risk day ratings plan.
Get your free copy of the toolkit today. Download it at agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/emergency-management/bushfires/fire-toolkit or request a hard copy by emailing recovery@agriculture.vic.gov.au
H5 bird flu update
H5 bird flu is present in wild birds in Victoria. Bird flu cannot be controlled in the wild.
From 20 August, bird flu reporting in Victoria has changed to align with the national reporting framework.
We now report H5 bird flu events, rather than individual detections. The new number of positive events captures all previously reported individual confirmed detections.
You can explore confirmed events on our interactive map.
H5 bird flu has not been detected in poultry.
If you see sick or dead birds or other wildlife, do not touch them. Avoid direct contact. Record what you see. Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline or using the form below.
For updates, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/birdflu and follow Agriculture Victoria on Facebook.
For more information about the situation across Australia, visit Bird flu
Good biosecurity remains the best defence against H5 bird flu for backyard chickens.
There are simple steps you can take to help protect your backyard birds from H5 bird flu:
- Use netting, fencing, roofing or other barriers where possible to reduce contact with wild birds or wild bird droppings
- Keep feed and water away from wild birds
- Clean poultry yards and coops regularly
- Wash your hands before and after handling birds
- Avoid sharing equipment with other poultry owners
- Monitor your birds for signs of illness and report any suspect cases immediately.
These steps can help keep your birds healthy and reduce the risk of spreading disease.
Find out more at agriculture.vic.gov.au/birdflu and report suspected cases by calling 1800 675 888.
Prepare now for spring plague locust hatchings
Pictured: Australian Plague Locust lifecycle indicating recommended stages for insecticide application.
The risk of plague locusts has increased across Victoria due to favourable autumn and winter conditions, more egg laying, and high locust numbers in New South Wales and South Australia. Egg hatching is expected to occur sooner than originally predicted.
Mallee: moderate to high chance of high locust numbers in spring, with hatching expected from mid-September.
Wimmera: low to moderate chance of high locust numbers in spring, with hatching expected from late September.
Now is the time to prepare:
• check paddocks, roadsides and bare or lightly grassed areas for egg beds
• learn what young locusts look like
• get your chemical and management plans ready.
Spraying is most effective about 2 weeks after hatching, when young locusts can’t fly and start to band together.
See locusts? Report them to us. Early reporting helps track locust movements and supports timely management responses.
Free Mental Health First Aid® Training
Mental Health First Aid® (MHFA) equips participants with the skills and confidence to recognise and respond when someone may be experiencing a mental health problem or crisis, provide initial support, and guide them towards appropriate professional help.
Upcoming free courses
Walwa, Victoria
7 to 8 SeptemberLake Bolac, Victoria
14 to 15 SeptemberWoomelang, Victoria
21 to 22 September
Course format: 2 days (12 hours)
These free training opportunities are supported through Look Over The Farm Gate grants provided by Agriculture Victoria under the Victorian Government's 2025 Drought Support Package.
Victoria's Biosecurity Reference Group closing date extended
Applications for the third term of Victoria's Biosecurity Reference Group close soon.
If you'd like to help shape biosecurity policy, programs and priorities in Victoria, now is the time to apply.
We're seeking people from a range of industries, communities and sectors who can bring different perspectives to the table. No previous board experience is required.
Find out more and apply via the link below.
Applications close 6 September at 11:59 pm.
Bushfire recovery
Grants and concessional loans
Farmers impacted by the January 2026 bushfires: you may be eligible for financial support for recovery.
- Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Grants of up to $75,000 to assist with clean-up and reinstating enterprises.
- Primary Producer Bushfire Recovery Concessional Loans of up to $250,000 for those who have suffered major asset damage or loss of income.
Grant applications close 4 pm, 21 October.
Applications can be made at ruralfinance.com.au/grants
Drought support available
Recovery isn’t one size fits all, every farm is different with its own timeline.
Support is available to help farmers manage current conditions, access practical advice and plan ahead with more confidence, including:
- Farm Drought Support Grants –grants of up to $5,000 are available for primary producers across the state
To view the full range of financial, technical and wellbeing support available visit the website or phone 136 186.
Significant Disease Investigation program research
Agriculture Victoria is undertaking an evaluation, from a producer’s perspective, of the Significant Disease Investigation (SDI) program.
The aim of the research is to understand how the SDI program can best support producers, as well as deliver the desired animal disease surveillance outcomes.
Feedback from cattle producers who have used the program will help to shape future improvements.
If you have participated in the SDI program and would like to share your experience, please contact Will Daniel from Verian Research on will.daniel@veriangroup.com
Participants will receive a $150 e-gift card for sharing your thoughts with Verian via a one-on-one conversation.
High P-fixing soils project survey
High phosphorus (P) fixing soils affect a significant proportion of the southern and western Australian grain-growing regions. High P-fixing soils decrease P use efficiency, reduce crop yields by up to 50% and can result in poor return on P investment. Led by Agriculture Victoria with support from GRDC, this project is a collaboration between growers, advisers and researchers to improve understanding and management of high P-fixing soils.
You're invited to complete this short survey to help us better understand current practices, challenges and decision-making around managing P in high P-fixing soils.
Visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/G999PLH to fill in the survey which will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Kangaroo population survey
DEECA's biennial kangaroo population surveys are happening 5 to 30 September across Victoria.
The surveys are done from the air so helicopters will be flying at low altitudes and slow speeds to count kangaroos. Flights are carefully planned to avoid houses and livestock.
These surveys improve our understanding of Victoria's kangaroo population and help inform wildlife management decisions.
For further information, contact our Customer Contact Centre on 131 186.
Past survey reports are available at: www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/our-wildlife/kangaroos
Support before, during and after drought with RIC loans
Wherever you are in the drought cycle, a RIC Drought Loan can improve cash flow to help eligible farm businesses manage through, recover and prepare when faced with drought.
Or if you’re in prolonged drought that has affected your financials for 2 years or more, and you expect the impact to continue, you may be eligible for a RIC Drought Hardship Loan to pay for operating costs, with no repayments for the first 2 years of the 5-year loan. Interest is deferred in this time to be repaid with principal and interest from year 3.
Webinar recording on managing waterlogging risk
If you missed the recent GRDC Grains Research Update on managing waterlogging risk and insights from recent research, you can catch the recording online.
Speakers
- Malcolm McCaskill – Agriculture Victoria
- Matthew Harrison – University of Tasmania
- Meixue Zhou – University of Tasmania
What's On
NE VIC (Yarrawonga) Field Walk
When: Tuesday 8 September, 9 am – 12:30 pm
Where: Pulse Site – Lanes Road, Bundalong South
Cereals Site – Benalla-Yarrawonga Road, Yarrawonga
Farm Office Efficiencies Workshops
When: Tuesday 8 September, 9 am – 3 pm
Where: Huntly Memorial Hall, 647 Midland Highway, Huntly
When: Wednesday 9 September, 9 am – 3 pm
Where: Serpentine Memorial Hall, Function Room, 20 Chapel Street, Serpentine
When: Thursday 10 September, 9 am – 3 pm
Where: CohunaCo, Flexi Room, 38 Channel Street, Cohuna
Want to make your farm office run more smoothly?
Join us in Huntly, Serpentine or Cohuna to learn practical strategies for:
- Accounting software
- Batch payments and reconciliation
- Hubdoc and Dext
- Managing receipts and records
- Cloud storage and digital filing
- Inventory tracking and reporting.
Presented by Carmen Quade from AgriFocused.
Limited to 25 participants per workshop. Lunch and morning tea provided.
For enquiries contact Darryl Pearl on 0417 432 711 or darryl.pearl@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Blackberry control workshops
When: Wednesday 9 September, 9–11 am
Where: Molesworth Hall, 4364 Goulburn Valley Highway, Molesworth
When: Wednesday 9 September, 2–4 pm
Where: Gooram Memorial Hall, Sargoods Road, Gooram
You're invited to join a 2-hour workshop focused on supporting effective blackberry control after fire.
The event will provide farmers with both strategic insights and practical on-farm information to help plan, implement and maintain successful blackberry management programs.
BCG’s Main Field Day 2026
When: Wednesday 9 September, 8:30 am – 4 pm
Where: Main Research Site at Birchip, Lehmann and Curyo West Road intersection, Curyo
Dried Fruits Australia Grower breakfast: Vineyard irrigation
When: Friday 11 September, 7:30 am for 8 am start
Where: Bobby + Me Cafe Hugh King Drive, Mildura
Dried grape growers are invited to join Dried Fruits Australia for a breakfast and coffee next week to talk vineyard irrigation ahead of the new season.
Agriculture Victoria’s Regional Manager Irrigation - Mallee Jeremy Giddings will chat vineyard irrigation, including post-harvest irrigation and evapotranspiration (ETO) data.
The grower breakfast will coincide with the beginning of weekly ETO data being released next week which aims to support dried grape producers with irrigation management.
Email communications@driedfruitsaustralia.org.au to register.
APAL: Implementing AI tools in the orchard
When: Monday 14 September, 1–2 pm
Where: Online
Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly, but what can it actually look like when applied to the day-to-day management of an orchard?
Following his popular session at the 2026 APAL Industry Forum, strategic foresight and AI consultant Sami Mäkeläinen returns for a practical webinar exploring how growers can turn AI tools into useful applications within their businesses.
Sami will work through a real-time example using a voice-based AI agent to assist with planning and recording orchard activities, including how structured notes can be generated and built up as the season progresses.
PPS Annual Conference, Adapting for the Future – Making Pasture Go the Distance
When: Tuesday 15 September, 8 am registration, 9 am – 5 pm
Where: Ararat Town Hall
This year’s speakers and topics include:
- Dr Jason Trompf – managing risk and making good business decisions through uncertain seasons and markets
- Dr John Webb-Ware – improving production and future-proofing the farm business
- Dr Mick Schaefer from Food Agility CRC – practical uses of data and AI, and building trust in new technology
- Professor Derrick Moot from Lincoln University – pasture science and management, including productive and resilient pastures in dry conditions
- Angus Brown – livestock market update and outlook
- Dean Eastwood from Rose Grange Pastoral Company – a farmer case study, followed by a tour of his Trawalla property on Wednesday
There will also be a speaker panel and plenty of time for questions and discussion.
Tickets:
- PPS members – $65
- Non-members – $95
- Agricultural students – free
Registration includes morning tea, lunch, the conference book and the farm tour on Wednesday 16 September.
Conference dinner will also be held at Ararat Town Hall. Pre-dinner drinks from 5 pm, Dinner from 6 pm. Dinner tickets are $70 per person and can be added when booking.
Bookings can be made at: https://pps.memberjungle.club
Enquiries: Sinead Barker info@perennialpasturesystems.com.au
Succession planning
When: Thursday 17 September, 9 am – 3 pm
Where: Corryong Events Centre, 54 Strzelecki Way, Corryong
When: Friday 18 September, 9 am – 3 pm
Where: Yarck Hall, 6583 Maroondah Highway, Yarck
Farm business owners, partners and family members are invited to a free 1-day workshop to learn how to plan a smooth transition of their family farm.
Presented by Dr Kate Burke, an independent consultant with extensive experience in coaching and facilitating farm business strategy.
GRDC events
Visit the GRDC events page for upcoming events.
- 16 September GRDC Harvest Set up Workshop – Terrick Terrick
- 16 September - Making every spray pass count webinar
- 17 September GRDC Harvest Set up Workshop – Ultima
- 17 September - Pinpointing frost damage across your paddocks webinar
- 18 September GRDC Harvest Set up Workshop – Bridgewater
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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