• Biosecurity help for small landholders
• The nuts and bolts of hardware disease
• Don't feed swill to pigs
• Have you heard the buzz? It’s all about BeeMAX
• Tips for healthy hives
• New round of grants for Victorian agricultural shows
• Protecting rural roadsides against weeds and pests
• Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program
• AgVic Talk - Attracting and retaining workers with Ben Reeve
• Report Illegal Spotlighting
• Last fox bounty collections for 2022
• ICYMI
• What's on?

Victorian small landholders are invited to boost their biosecurity skills and knowledge by attending two educational webinars being hosted by Agriculture Victoria and RSPCA Victoria. 

Small-scale, artisanal and peri-urban landholders range from people with livestock species as pets to those who sell or trade commercially.

All landholders – small, new, established, or commercial – have an important role to play in protecting their properties, animals, and our state and country from biosecurity threats.

Agriculture Victoria is strongly encouraging all livestock owners to implement biosecurity practices to, not only protect their own livestock from pests and diseases, but also help to protect their neighbour’s livestock, commercial farms and our agriculture supply chain. 

With many years of experience in animal management, Agriculture Victoria Regional Manager Brett Davidson will be joined by RSPCA Victoria Education Officer Rachael Laukart for two webinars to discuss biosecurity measures and risks tailored to small-scale, artisanal and peri-urban landholders. 

Agriculture Victoria Program Manager for Resilience and Recovery, Melissa Cann, said the webinars will ensure small-scale, artisanal and peri-urban landholders understand their biosecurity responsibilities and are equipped with necessary resources when it comes to keeping their animals safe. 

“Whether you own a small cattle herd, a pig, or even just a pet alpaca or two, implementing the correct biosecurity practices and taking biosecurity responsibilities seriously is vital in protecting your property from pests and diseases,” she said.

“These webinars will help landholders understand what biosecurity is, its importance and why it is necessary to implement biosecurity measures regardless of the size of your property or how many animals you care for.”

The two one-and-a-half-hour webinars will be held from 6.30 pm on 28 September and 5 October. Topics will include an overview of biosecurity and why it matters, how to manage biosecurity on your property and where to go for information. 

RSPCA Victoria Manager for Education and Community Outreach, Ian Sumpter, said RSPCA was pleased to be partnering with Agriculture Victoria to present the webinars.

“RSPCA Victoria knows that by providing relevant information, including preventative health measures and tips on biosecurity planning, first time and established farmers will be best placed to protect their animals through appropriate husbandry practices,” he said.

For more details, including how to register visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/events.

For further information on foot-and-mouth disease, including advice for hobby farmers, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/fmd.

The Victorian Government is strengthening its resolve on biosecurity with a plan to protect Victoria from the threat of pests and disease.

Minister for Agriculture Gayle Tierney has launched Victoria’s Biosecurity Statement, which sets out ways industry and government can work together to protect our environment and economy.

By identifying what biosecurity is, why it exists and how everyone has a role to play, the statement highlights how actions and choices can have significant impacts on land, waters, communities and culture.

Biosecurity is a collective effort to prevent and manage the harms caused by pests and diseases, and the impact they have on farming communities, natural landscapes and the safety of food and fibre production.

To ensure we can move freely, gather, care for and connect to Country, produce safe and clean food, and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors, Victoria’s farms, environment and animals need to be protected from harmful pests and diseases.

The risks facing Victoria are increasing and becoming more complex and the statement lays the groundwork for how the government can best manage potential risks and threats posed to our land and waters.

The statement also identifies opportunities for citizen scientists to get involved in biosecurity, with easily accessible toolkits to help identify pests and disease.

Developed in collaboration with industry leaders, Traditional Owners, national and state peak bodies the statement provided an opportunity for people to have their say on what biosecurity means to them.

The Victorian Government’s multi-pronged approach to keeping the state safe includes Victoria’s first Biosecurity Reference Group, as part of the $28 million Strengthening Victoria’s Biosecurity (SVBS) Program - a joint effort by government, industry and community to develop a shared vision for biosecurity.

Learn more about the Biosecurity Statement via agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity-statement.

Did you know that food waste – swill – containing meat or other animal by-products must not be fed to pigs as it may contain viruses that cause diseases in animals?

Australia is free of foot-and-mouth disease. Feeding pigs waste food containing meat and meat products, irrespective of whether they are locally produced or imported, or imported dairy products puts this at risk.

Banning the feeding of prohibited food waste to pigs provides an important defence against the introduction of FMD or African Swine Fever to Australia.

Learn more about what you can and can't feed to pigs here.

BeeMAX is free, quick, and easy to use – and it’s a simple way of maintaining your record keeping obligations under the Livestock Disease and Control Regulations. 

Whether you’re a backyard beekeeper or keep commercial quantities of hives, the BeeMAX electronic diary is a central place to record all your biosecurity activities and observations including: 

• pest and disease inspections and testing
• swarm collection data
• the movement of bees and equipment
• biosecurity training completed.

Learn more here

Visit BeeMAX 

Keep your bees happy, healthy and productive as the weather warms up - bee aware of the biosecurity basics:

🐝Be aware of biosecurity threats, such as Varroa mite
🐝Practice good hygiene and sanitation
🐝Check your apiary and monitor hives and the health of the honeybee brood frequently
🐝Respect and be aware of laws and regulations established to protect the honeybee industry, Australian agriculture and the local region
🐝Report anything unusual to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

For the latest info visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/varroa

For biosecurity basics visit beeaware.org.au/biosecurity/biosecurity-basics/

Dr Jeff Cave, Senior Veterinary Officer

For many years Agriculture Victoria has conducted disease surveillance projects at Victoria’s major knackeries.

A knackery is an accumulation point for diseased livestock, making it a valuable place to look for new and emerging diseases and to monitor disease trends.

From a veterinarian’s point of view, it’s also a place where you might see an interesting disease condition.

During one visit, when looking through the internal contents of a cow, I saw that a piece of wire had pierced the cow’s reticulum (second stomach) and gone through its diaphragm into the sack surrounding the cow’s heart filling it with pus, leading it to die.

My initial thought was ‘how unlucky was that’. But what I saw was actually not that uncommon, and a recognised condition in cattle known as hardware disease.

Cattle are not talented at selectively grazing and what they eat they tend to swallow. This may include offcuts of fencing wire, fencing staples, nails, and any other pieces of rubbish left lying in a paddock. This is especially the case if something like an old tyre goes through a feed mixer.

From there, any heavy objects will settle in the bottom of the reticulum of the cow. 

The inner surface of the reticulum has a honeycomb pattern which points any sharp objects toward its wall, increasing the likelihood of the wall being pierced.

The reticulum is full of bacteria. Therefore, if its wall is pierced an infection will follow, either in the cow’s abdomen, its thorax, or as I saw, around its heart.

To prevent hardware disease, it’s vital to not leave small, sharp metal objects lying about in paddocks or stockyards and be extra mindful of what goes into a feed mixer.

One of the treatments for hardware disease is to make the cow swallow a specially designed magnet, which will also sit in the reticulum, capturing any pieces of metal. 

Occasionally, a veterinarian will operate to try and find and remove the offending piece of metal.

For further advice, please contact your local veterinarian.

Applications are now open for the Agricultural and Pastoral Society Grants 2022-23 round to support shows and field days that promote the best of Victoria's agricultural offerings and benefit the state’s regional and rural communities.

As with previous years, eligible applicants can apply for up to $10,000 for infrastructure development and business activities to celebrate Victoria’s agricultural communities, practices, industry and produce.

Grants may be used to upgrade or build new facilities including judging areas, staging or display areas, or for public amenities for multi-purpose community use.

The money may also be used for business activities that assist in the planning of events.

Agriculture Victoria Executive Director, Agriculture Policy and Programs, Sarah-Jane McCormack, said the new round of funding ensures that agricultural shows across the state can continue to deliver exciting events for local communities.

“The Victorian Government continues to support Agricultural and Pastoral Societies to get back up and running this year.”

“In addition to the one-off support for free entry of children at shows, these grants are also available to make sure that showgrounds, facilities and events are in top shape making events enjoyable and safe for communities,” Ms McCormack said.

The projects will help the societies deliver exciting events that build confidence in the agriculture sector and support regional economies and jobs.

The grants are open to all eligible Victorian Agricultural and Pastoral Societies including the Royal Geelong Show, Whittlesea Show, Mildura Show and many more.

Regional and rural shows are a fixture of Victorian society, building community spirit by celebrating agriculture in a fun, entertaining, educational and inclusive environment.

Applications are now open and close at midnight on 21 October 2022.

For more information on the program and to apply, visit the  Agriculture Victoria website.

The Victorian Government is continuing to support regional and rural councils to prevent the spread of invasive weeds and pests on roadsides.

Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne recently announced the government is investing $2.86 million to be shared across 56 councils through the Roadside Weeds and Pests Control Program.

Each council will receive between $5,000 - $75,000 to manage problematic plants and pests, with rural roadsides often a breeding ground.

Weeds and pests cost the Victorian economy over $900 million each year by disrupting agricultural production, damaging native biodiversity and contributing to the spread of fires.

Local Government Victoria and Agriculture Victoria will work closely with local councils to ensure weeds and pests are tackled appropriately in their local area.

The funding will assist councils with a range of activities along their rural roadsides, including treating and preventing ‘regionally controlled’ and ‘restricted’ weeds, managing rabbit populations and community consultation.

‘Regionally controlled’ weeds are defined as being widespread in a region, requiring landowners to prevent their growth and spread, while ‘restricted’ weeds are considered a serious threat to all states and territories.

Trading ‘restricted’ weeds and their propagules, either as plants, seeds, or contaminants, in other materials, is banned.

Weeds can be categorised differently depending on where they are in the state, for example, Ragwort is ‘Controlled’ in Corangamite, Glenelg, East and West Gippsland, Port Phillip and Western Port, ‘Prohibited’ in Goulburn and Northeast Victoria and ‘Restricted’ in Mallee, North Central Victoria and the Wimmera.

Do you have an innovative project idea that could help shape the future of agriculture?

Apply for the 2023 Science and Innovation Awards for a $22,000 grant towards your project.

Applications close on Friday 23 September 2022, to apply for a grant go to: https://fal.cn/3r3L4

Each year Gardiner Dairy Foundation supports two places in the Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program (LMCLP) for regionally based people working on Victorian dairy farms, in dairy processing or as service providers.

LEAD Loddon Murray provides communities with the confidence and knowledge to be clear about what they want to achieve, to find strength within the community and to lead themselves.

We understand the tremendous work that community leaders do to build vibrant and sustainable regional communities.

For more information CLICK HERE

Expressions of interest for this program can now be submitted by filling out THIS FORM.

Milking the Weather provides seasonal and climate risk information for the dairy industry four times a year at the beginning of summer, autumn, winter and spring.

Information includes regional round-ups for the previous season, seasonal climate outlook summaries, strategies on managing the season ahead and case studies on farmers managing climate risk successfully on their farms.

The spring edition features:

• Victorian seasonal climate summary for winter and the spring outlook
• farmer case studies with Kevin Fitzsimmons from Merrigum in the Northern Irrigation Region, Chris Nixon from Orbost in East Gippsland, and John Versteden from Longwarry in West Gippsland
• tips on managing through spring, and
• latest seasonal soil moisture condition assessment.

Read the spring edition of Milking the Weather here.

Subscribe to future editions here.

Workforce planning and management has never been more important for the horticulture industry experiencing a tight labour market.

In this episode of AgVic Talk, Ben Reeve from Meridian Agriculture discusses how horticulture growers can plan, attract and retain staff.

Listen whenever you get your podcasts or 🎧 online via the AgVic website. 

Illegal spotlighting may be happening in your area, putting your community, property, livestock and native wildlife at risk. 

Illegal spotlighting is when people illegally use a spotlight or thermal imaging device on public land to shoot deer or other game animals at night. 

If you see or hear of illegal spotlighting in your area, please report it to the Game Management Authority. 

Visit gma.vic.gov.au or call 136 186, or you can contact your local police. 

Keep our community safe and help put a stop to illegal spotlighting in your area. 

There are some forms of legal spotlighting, including when landowners or their agents need to control pest animals or problem deer on private property. 

For more information about spotlighting laws, CLICK HERE.

All reports of alleged illegal spotlighting are assessed and responded to accordingly.

Victorian citizen scientists are helping to keep our waterways clean and healthy with an innovative new program using insects to stop nutrient run-off from farms.

READ THE FULL MEDIA RELEASE HERE.

Victorian fox and wild dog collections finish in October for 2022.

Acceptable entire fox scalps and entire wild dog body parts will be collected from eligible members of the public at specific dates and times, and from sites scheduled as collection centres.

Please note that no entire fox scalps or entire wild dog body parts will be accepted at any public counter or state government office.

Visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/bounty to find out more.

Collections will only be accepted at the designated times.

The collection schedule for North West Victoria, includes:

Details about Agriculture Victoria events can now be found in one spot on our website. Log on to agriculture.vic.gov.au/events to find out what's on.

WorkSafe are hosting a breakfast to discuss the pathways to a productive and safe farm business.

The panel will share their experiences, including what's worked for them and support available.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end.

Panel members include:

Andrew Cottrell – Director, Cottrell Farms

Michael Robertson – owner of Workplace Safe app

Jen Grigg – Agriculture Program Manager, WorkSafe Victoria.

Hosted by Trevor Butler – Director of Regional Operations (West), WorkSafe Victoria.

Date: Tuesday 11 October

Time: 7 – 8.50 am

Location: SuniTAFE Mildura, 453 Benetook Ave, Mildura 

To register CLICK HERE

Have you ever thought about volunteering your time to support people and communities impacted by emergencies? The impact you can have is immeasurable. 

We need your help to support the Australian Red Cross Victorian Emergency Services teams! 

The Red Cross is seeking volunteers interested in developing their skills to support people and communities before, during and after disasters.

Our team of staff and volunteers work with people and communities to help prepare for and build resilience to emergencies and, provide social and emotional support to people and communities.

Now is the time to join this incredible organisation! Full training is provided.

Red Cross Victoria Emergency Services is currently recruiting for:

• volunteer divisional leadership and team member roles
• volunteer incident management team roles in the Emergency Operations Centre
• volunteers for the Learning Development team.

For more information, please see the Volunteer Role Description or contact the Victorian Emergency Services Team at vicesworkforce@redcross.org.au. 

Apply here: Volunteer with Red Cross | Australian Red Cross. 

Applications close on Sunday 2 October.

Registrations are open for the Bendigo Regional Outlook conference on Wednesday 5 October.

Join ABARES and delegates from around the region as we discuss the key issues for agriculture at sessions on  Agriculture's contribution to Australia’s prosperity, Driving value in agriculture and food, and a panel discussion exploring  Adopting and adapting for sustainable growth.

Hear from ABARES Jared Greenville and Andrew Cameron on the big picture issues affecting farmers as well as the key commodity trends and sector analysis.

John Walsh, also from ABARES, is discussing the water market outlook for the southern Murray-Darling Basin. They will be joined by speakers from ANZ, Bureau of Meteorology, Agriculture Victoria, RDA Loddon Mallee, Ridley Foods, Think Agri, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, and producers from around the region.

Bring your colleagues and clients to the region’s leading agriculture-focused conference - it’s a great networking and staff training opportunity.

The Bendigo Regional Outlook conference is on Wednesday 5 October at the All Seasons Hotel Bendigo, 171/183 McIvor Highway, Bendigo.

Registration is complimentary but pre-event registration is essential.

Register HERE

Registration opens at 8.30am and the conference starts at 9 am.

For enquiries or further information email conferences@agriculture.gov.au.

With another wet summer forecast – are there opportunities to sow something that provides quality feed for growing lambs over summer?

Guest speakers Rebecca Stutz, CSIRO and Dr Ralph Behrendt, Agriculture Victoria will discuss a range of summer forage options with results on animal performance.

We follow with some experiences from farmers on their experience in establishing and utilising summer forage crops.

We will end the night with our Myth Buster. Climate specialist Dale Grey will answer the myth busting question ‘does a La Nina mean summer rain in Victoria?'

Date: Tuesday 27 September

Time: 7 – 7.45 pm

TO REGISTER CLICK HERE

For more information please contact Jane Court (Agriculture Victoria).
Ph: 0436 606 742
Email: jane.court@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Join presenter, farmer and consultant Denise McLellan to kickstart your work health and safety journey.

From this workshop you will learn how to prioritise safety actions and practical ways to improve work health and safety to make your business more resilient.

Date: Thursday 6 October 

Time: 2.30 - 6 pm 

Location: Berriwillock Community Centre, 73 Taverner Street, Berriwillock.

Afternoon tea provided.

To register CLICK HERE

For more information contact Jemma Pearl from Agriculture Victoria on 0436 922 017 or jemma.pearl@agriculture.vic.gov.au

After a two-year hiatus, Elmore Field Days 2022 is fast approaching.

Agriculture Victoria staff from various work areas, including animal health and farm management, will be at site 349 from 4 – 6 October, so come say hi!

For more information, visit the Elmore Field Days website
Dates: 4 – 6 October
Location: 48 Rosaia Road, Elmore.

Exporting your premium #agrifood and #beverage products can lead to increased sales revenue and profits, lower risk and encourages innovation.

But how do you know when the timing is right?

How long does it take to get a product into a new market?

REGISTER now for the upcoming Agri-food Export Essentials four-part series and build your export confidence.

Sessions will cover:

• International Business Planning and Market Entry Essentials
• Export Marketing, Freight and Logistics
• Export Documentation, Procedures and Payment
• Export Risk and Available Assistance.

Dates

• 2-3.30 pm AEST, Wednesday 28 September
• 2-3.30 pm AEST, Wednesday 12 October
• 2-3.30 pm AEST, Wednesday 26 October
• 2-3.30 pm AEST, Wednesday 9 November.

Agriculture Victoria is supporting Robert White, Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at the University of Melbourne, who will present on the challenges of storing, measuring and monitoring soil carbon on livestock farms. 

Professor White has extensive experience in soil science nationally and internationally, having worked in CSIRO, universities and private industry. He has been actively questioning and writing on soil carbon farming for landowners and the science around soil sequestration.

Graeme Anderson, Climate specialist with Agriculture Victoria, will showcase information resources and chair the Q&A session.

Topics:

• What is the potential to store carbon on my land and how can this be estimated?
• What changes in management might I have to make to increase and/or maintain soil carbon?
• What are the possible benefits from increasing soil carbon in terms of the productivity of my business?
• What are the possible co-benefits and potential challenges for maintaining soil carbon?

When: Thursday 6 October
Where: Online, Zoom
Time: 7 – 8 pm

Register for this free webinar online at Zoom or for more event information contact Jane Court, Knowledge Broker on 0436 606 742 or at jane.court@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Are you a service provider or adviser looking to offer farmers advice about managing carbon and emissions at the whole farm level?

Agriculture Victoria is setting up a Community of Practice to connect service providers and advisers to share knowledge, technical expertise, and experiences to help make sense of carbon and emissions and build capability in whole farm emissions reduction and carbon advice. 

CLICK HERE to register to attend the introductory webinar at 12 pm on 5 October. 

For more information visit the Agriculture Victoria website. 

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