• Avian influenza Control Area Orders updated
• Edging towards drenching?
• The latest The Fast Break newsletter now available
• Italian researcher landing at Tatura SmartFarm to study
• Bee business training video
• On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Grants Program open
• Victoria’s duck abundance survey about to begin
• Fruit Growers Victoria horticulture safety videos now available
• Landmark tax ruling – a win for native timber workers
• Free financial counselling available now
• Funding for AgTech startups
• Apply for new Future Drought Fund grants to support Aussie farmers
• WorkSafe - cattle crush information
• Have you reviewed your farm fire plan?
• In case you missed it
• What's on

Agriculture Victoria has lifted the Control Area Order for Terang that was put in place for the current H7 avian influenza outbreak.

From Thursday, 7 November 2024:

• the Control Area Order for avian influenza in the Terang area has been removed
• the Control Area Order for avian influenza around Meredith remains in place
• properties within the Meredith control area still require permits for moving birds, poultry products, and equipment.

No new avian influenza cases have been detected since 24 June 2024.

The removal of the Control Area Order for the Terang area means that permits are no longer required for moving birds, poultry products and equipment.

Permits are not required for vehicles transporting poultry feed in the Meredith control area as long as they meet biosecurity requirements.

Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Graeme Cooke emphasised that Victoria’s longest-running biosecurity response is nearing its conclusion, but work remains to be done.

'As we move toward proof of freedom from avian influenza, Agriculture Victoria continues to work with the owners and managers of impacted farms to support them return to business,' Dr Cooke said.

'We continue to monitor for disease with staff visiting properties and testing birds in the remaining control area.

'It has been a long campaign to get to this point, and we thank everyone who has played a part.'

If you are a poultry farmer, backyard flock owner or bird owner, report any unexplained bird deaths to the Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) Hotline on 1800 675 888. Your cooperation is crucial in protecting the health of all birds in the area.

Resources and contact details for industry and individual support are available in our resource directory.

More information, including movement permits, maps, and compensation details is available online at agriculture.vic.gov.au/avianinfluenza.

Dr Jeff Cave, Agriculture Victoria Senior Veterinary Officer

Is it time to drench? If so, step back and consider a few things.

Worm burdens will vary between different classes of livestock. Therefore, it’s important to first establish what really needs drenching.

In doing so, you may save yourself time and money and reduce the chance of drench-resistance establishing in your herd.

Worm testing by using worm faecal egg counts (FEC) is a way to monitor for the presence of worms and thus the requirement for treatment. It is a useful diagnostic aid in all types of livestock.  

FEC is the process of determining the number of eggs in faeces and is a fast, effective and relatively inexpensive test.    

The test involves the collection of faeces either directly from the rectum of the animal, or by mustering a number of animals into a clean corner of a paddock for approximately ten minutes and then collecting fresh faecal samples from the ground. 

Different mobs may have different FECs so it’s worth having a number of mobs tested.

This particularly applies to your weaners and maiden animals, which have a naturally lower worm resistance and will probably need drenching where the rest of your herd may not. 

If and when you do drench, be sure to give the correct dose and use an effective drench.

FECs can also provide information on how effective treatment has been thus providing information about possible drench resistance.  

For further information visit wormboss.com.au or contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer.

This newsletter details oceanic and atmospheric climate driver activity over the last month and summarises 3-month model predictions for the Pacific and Indian oceans, rainfall and temperature for Victoria.

To subscribe or to view the latest issue click here.

Above left to right: PhD student, Mirko Piani and AgVic Research Scientist, Alessio Scalisi

Italian agronomist and PhD student, Mirko Piani, recently started a 6-month PhD project at the Agriculture Victoria Tatura SmartFarm.

Mirko Piani, from University of Bologna, said he is glad to have started this exciting 6-month journey as he will have the opportunity to both learn and contribute his expertise in precision orchard management.

‘My work will focus on LiDAR-based orchard mapping and data management, collaborating closely with my Australian mentor and AgVic Research Scientist, Alessio Scalisi,’ Mirko said.

‘LiDAR-based orchard mapping and data management involves monitoring tree growth over time to identify areas of the orchard that require variable management.

‘The innovation lies in merging the growth rates computed from the laser scanner with weather data from IoT weather stations.

‘This research aims to fully automate the profiling and mapping of tree growth and understand how the technology can benefit Victorian fruit growers.’

Mirko has a passion for hiking, nature and travel, and hopes to experience all 3 while in Australia.

AgVic Senior Research Scientist Dr Mark O’Connell said AgVic SmartFarms support the agricultural community by undertaking science in dairy, horticulture, grains and livestock farming systems to help support productivity and strengthen Victoria's major agriculture industries.

‘Tatura SmartFarm is all about enabling innovation for the horticulture industry,’ Dr O’Connell said.

‘Our research improves orchard to fruit quality sensing and increases precision and mechanisation and robotics through AgTech that increases the yield and value of pears, apples and stonefruits – helping grow Victoria’s export markets.’

‘We love beekeeping. We always think about bees... But we sometimes don’t think about business.’

Beekeeper Matt Lorenz signed up to our Farm Business Resilience Program to learn more about being a resilient business in a changing environment.

In this video, Matt talks about how the program showed him what he does really well as a beekeeper but importantly, what he can improve on to be prepared for potential business shocks.

Find out more about our Farm Business Resilience Program here.

Watch the video here.

South west Victorian farmers impacted by the current drought conditions can now apply for on-farm grants to help manage and withstand current seasonal conditions and prepare their businesses for the future.

Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence has announced the opening of the On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Grants Program that will provide financial assistance to farmers managing current drought conditions and build farm business preparedness and resilience for the future.

Eligible farmers can apply for co-contribution grants of up to $5,000 for on-farm improvements including water infrastructure upgrades, stock containment areas, grain and fodder storage and drought management tools.

The $12.1 million grants program is open to farmers in Local Government Areas in the south west that have been most severely impacted by ongoing drought conditions.

These Local Government Areas include Glenelg, Southern Grampians, Warrnambool, Moyne, Corangamite, Colac Otway, Surf Coast, Ararat, Pyrenees, Golden Plains and Greater Geelong, as well as the southern half of West Wimmera Shire.

These grants are part of a $13.53 million Drought Support Package which also includes a $1.43 million investment in farmer wellbeing, technical decision-making advice and a dedicated Regional Drought Coordinator who will help ensure support is reaching those who need it.

The grants build on the existing support services available for farmers including the Rural Financial Counselling Service, National Centre for Farmer Health, farmer workshops, field days and practical information on the Agriculture Victoria website.

To attend an upcoming drop-in session being held across the south-west visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/dryseasons or phone 136 186.

For more information on the On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Grants Program, including the specific areas of eligibility, visit ruralfinance.com.au or call them on 1800 260 425 during business hours.

The Game Management Authority (GMA) will begin its annual survey of Victoria’s game duck population on Tuesday, 12 November 2024.

The survey will be conducted by wildlife biologists, who will record the presence, species and number of game ducks at more than 850 waterbodies across Victoria, including wetlands, farm dams, sewerage treatment plants, streams and rivers.

The survey will also include ground counts where the helicopter is unable to operate.

Satellite imaging will then be used to determine the amount of wetland habitat available and, together with survey abundance estimates, used to estimate the total abundance of Victoria’s game duck species.

The GMA is continuing this research in 2024 as part of the Victorian Government’s Sustainable Hunting Action Plan 2021-24 and commitment to introducing adaptive harvest management.

GMA Research Principal, Dr Jason Flesch said regularly collecting data is critical to understanding what drives the abundance and productivity of game duck populations.

'Results from this survey will help to accurately estimate total game duck abundance, based on environmental conditions at the time,' Dr Flesch said.

'This research benefits wildlife conservation by increasing our understanding of the ecology of Victoria’s game duck populations and the health of their habitats.'

The 2024 survey is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, 12 November until Friday, 29 November, inclusive.

The flight schedule may change from day to day, depending on weather conditions or other factors.

Residents in surveyed areas may see a helicopter flying at low levels for a short time and for no longer than is necessary.

The safety of people and livestock is a priority and disturbance to livestock will be minimised or avoided.

The results of the survey will be published on the GMA website in 2025.

For more information, including a map of the proposed flight path, click here.

Looking for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) safety resources for your horticulture farm?

This farm safe and well video from Fruit Growers Victoria is for all horticulture workers, and available in 9 languages.

Keep an eye out for more safety videos from Fruit Growers Vic coming soon.

Keep yourself, your family, and your workers safe and well – know how to manage the risks.

See Fruit Growers Vic safety videos here.

Native timber workers will get more money in their pockets when they receive support from the Victorian Government, following a landmark class ruling by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence welcomed the ATO’s decision which sets a national precedent in tax treatment for workers receiving redundancy payments.

The ruling means the government’s Top-Up Payment provided as part of the Victorian Forestry Worker Support Program can be classed as a genuine redundancy – meaning they now benefit from tax-free and concessional rates.

The government’s Top-Up Payments have helped 187 workers following the end of native timber harvesting in Victoria.

The ruling also extends tax-free and concessional treatment to casual, piece rate, and seasonal employees who have received government redundancy payments.

This ensures that all years of service in the native timber industry contribute to an employee’s genuine redundancy payment - recognising the unique employment types in the forestry industry.

The ruling is available on the Australian Tax Office website and provides further details as to how tax will be applied to other Victorian Forestry Worker Support Program payments including Relocation Reimbursement Payments and Hardship Payments.

Employees can take the ruling to their accountant where it can be applied for the current or previous financial years.

This government continues to support forestry workers through the transition away from native timber harvesting with a $1.5 billion investment including worker support services and investments to support the transition to plantation timber.

Over 1,400 workers and family members registered for the Worker Support Program which has provided over 3,192 training and education activities approved for workers and family members.

The Victorian Forestry Worker Support Program offer support to eligible native timber employees, supply chain employees, and their families as they navigate the end of native timber harvesting in state forests.

For more information visit, vic.gov.au/forestry or call ForestWorks on 1800 177 001.

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 rfcsnetwork.com.au or call 1300 771 741.

The Hugh Victor McKay Fund is a $2 million co-investment fund for Victorian AgTech startups run by LaunchVic with funding from Agriculture Victoria.

The fund invests up to $200,000 alongside individual investors, angel groups and early-stage VC’s.

Up to $30,000 of the investment is provided as a grant to the startup, the remainder is taken as equity.

This means founders hold more stake in their company at the early stages.

For more information or to apply click here​.

The Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund is looking for eligible Australian organisations to apply for 2 new grant programs.

These programs will trial innovative solutions with the potential to build the agriculture sector, landscapes and communities’ long-term resilience to drought and climate risks, through transformational change.

The $40 million Resilient Landscapes Program focuses on demonstrating how implementing and scaling of practices, technologies or approaches to manage natural resources on farm, builds drought and climate resilience.

The $40.3 million Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Program Round 2 looks at investigating new practices and technologies that will improve productivity in variable weather through evidence-based trials, co-designed with farmers.

Both grant rounds are open to agricultural industries in Australia and will be delivered over 6 years.

Applicants must form consortia, that is 2 or more organisations working together to develop and deliver an eligible project.

Applications close on 19 November 2024.

To learn more about the grants and apply, visit:

Resilient Landscapes Grants Program

Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Grants.

Attention dairy and cattle farmers.

WorkSafe have worked with industry to develop new cattle crush safety guidance.

We want to keep everyone safe when handling cattle.

Find out more: worksafe.vic.gov.au/safe-cattle-yards-crushes.

A fire plan can help protect your home, livestock and vital farm infrastructure.

It will also help identify what you need to do and when you need to do it in preparation for the upcoming fire season.

Start today by downloading a copy of the Farm Fire Preparedness Toolkit.

DAMDEEP tool impresses farmers in south west Victoria

A simple device for measuring the depth of a farm dam was introduced to landholders at a series of workshops in south west Victoria recently.

READ THE MEDIA RELEASE IN FULL HERE

Calling on startups to solve farm safety challenges

The Victorian Government is calling on startups to help solve farm safety and productivity challenges as part of a new program that aims to harness innovation and the technological knowledge of Victoria’s startup sector.

READ THE MEDIA RELEASE IN FULL HERE

Caring for your stock in dry seasonal conditions

One way to help manage your stock during dry seasonal conditions is with the use of a stock containment area (SCA).

READ THE MEDIA RELEASE IN FULL HERE

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.

When: Thursday 14 November, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm

Where: Apsley Town Hall, 62 Wallace St, Apsley.

Register here.

Farmers are invited to a one-day workshop to help keep your animals and you going in challenging times.

Dr Jane Gaussen, The Livestock Vet
Based at Poolaijelo, Victoria, Dr Jane Gaussen offers a range of livestock veterinary services for the sheep, cattle, goats and alpacas of western Victoria and south-east South Australia.

Dr Julie Rowse, Healthy Mind and Soul
Mental health expert, speaker, author and coach Dr Julie Rowse has a family background in business management and sheep and grain farming in western Victoria. She knows how important it is for farming families to look after their mental health to be productive and perform at their best. Farmers who know how to manage their wellbeing are more productive and perform better.

GRDC Farm Business Event, online – Planning forward on reduced seasonal returns: Friday 8 November, 1 – 2 pm

GRDC Grains Research Update, online – Best practice soil testing for the Southern Region: Wednesday 13 November, 1 –1:45 pm

GRDC Grains Research Update, online – Strategies for Predicta B testing: Wednesday 20 November, 1 – 1:45 pm

For more information or to register for any of these events click here.

Hamilton - register here. 

When: Wednesday 13 November, 10 am to 12 pm.

Where: 77 Kennedy Street, Hamilton.

Inverleigh - register here.

When: Friday 15 November, 10 am to 12 pm.

Where: 20 Railway Street, Inverleigh. 

Talk the Talk is an interactive 2-hour session delivered by the Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria West.

It is aimed at helping farm service providers, farmers and farming families recognise mental health problems and provide support.

You will learn about observation, what to say, how to say it and what to do next.

A light lunch will be provided on the day.

The Farm Business Resilience Program is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Victorian Government’s Future Agriculture Skills Capacity Fund.

The Carbon Farming Outreach Program gets underway this month and is open to all Victorian farmers.

The program assists farmers and land managers to understand and make informed decisions on carbon farming, including:  

• the fundamentals of carbon farming  
• sources of emissions and options to reduce emissions and store carbon
• how to determine your emissions profile 
• understanding and navigating carbon credit markets. 

Hosted by catchment management authorities, these sessions will share the latest information about carbon farming. 

Upcoming events

• Carbon farming, low emissions - 8 November, Hamilton
• Farm emissions – the ins and outs with Cam Nicholson - 13 November, Avenel
• Farm emissions – the ins and outs with Cam Nicholson - 14 November, Tatura.

For more information and to register for updates, visit the Carbon Farming Outreach Program page on our website.

This program is delivered with funding from the Commonwealth of Australia as part of the National Carbon Farming Outreach Program.

DATE: Friday 15 November

LOCATION: Bendigo

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE

Learn how AI and the latest cutting-edge technologies can help transform and revolutionise your business.

Join us at Regional Development Australia Melbourne’s (RDAM) upcoming Artificial Intelligence Forum, to be held in Bendigo on 15 November.

This forum will highlight the importance of understanding and harnessing these innovative technology solutions, their benefits and practical applications in business, as well as address concerns surrounding risk, compliance, and legislation of AI in industry. 

For early adopters of AI or for businesses starting to explore the space, the forum will inform, showcase, and inspire.

Showcasing demonstrations of real-world adoption of AI and digital innovation, we will talk to and hear insights from industry leaders and businesses driving productivity and innovation through the integration of AI.  

With keynotes, panel discussion and collaborative conversation, this will be a platform to connect and explore the array of opportunities in AI businesses are undertaking in regional areas and beyond.

Speakers include:

• Simon Wilson, CEO Founder of Australian Regional AI Network and CEO of RegGrid
• Jannat Maqbool, Manager of Industry Programs at ARM AI Adopt Centre. Jannat has 25 years of experience in IoT and smart cities, financial services innovation, digital engineering, and AI, across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, and is actively engaged in the technology ecosystem.

Case study presenters/demonstrators include:

• Stef Cola, Director of Engineering at CultureAmp, and founder of Ligantic  (Innovative chat tool powered by AI)
• Briana Cowan, founder of Mingle Media, runs workshops on leveraging AI to boost productivity in business
• Edward Barraclough, founder of Drone-Hand, autonomous livestock and total property monitoring.

When: Wednesday 20 November, 9:30 am to 3 pm.

Where: Freshwater Creek Hall, 445 Dickins Road, Freshwater Creek. 

Register here.

This practical session will help you assess the current state of your pastures to decide what action to take to optimise pasture growth, quality and sustainability.

Lisa is an agricultural consultant and researcher with a long history of working in grazing industries. She is well known for her research in evaluating grazing systems and pasture persistence, as well as identifying soil constraints to pasture growth.

The workshop will help you:

• assess pasture performance movements
• choose what action to take – manipulate or renovate?
• get the best return on investment.

It will also cover:

• grazing management to improve productivity and persistence of pastures and reduce weeds
• cost-effective use of fertilisers, reduced use of herbicides and need for re-sowing.

WARRNAMBOOL

DATE: 19 and 20 November

TIME: 10 am – 3 pm (both days)

LOCATION: Deakin University

HAMILTON

DATE: 21 and 22 November

TIME: 10 am – 3 pm (both days)

LOCATION: HIRL (more details on registration)

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

Understanding your irrigation system and if you have it running a peak performance? Wondering if it’s worth upgrading and need to understand what’s available?

These 2-day workshops are aimed at irrigators to help them learn about how to make their irrigation systems the best they can be – from an efficiency, production and water use perspective.

These workshops will be facilitated by Peter Smith, Sapphire Irrigation Consulting and are free for irrigators to attend.

Business EDGE is a 2-day workshop designed to enhance producer knowledge and skills in basic financial and business management to improve business efficiency and profitability.

Attending this Hamilton workshop will help you to:

• develop your financial knowledge and business understanding
• understand where your business is performing well and where it can be improved
• better understand how your decisions impact the bottom line of your business
• determine if your business can fund future growth, debt reduction, retirement and succession
• ensure everyone in your business is on the same page
• join a group of like-minded producers and equip yourself to improve your business skills.

Presenters - Paul Blackshaw and Bryony Fitzgerald, farm business consultants at Meridian Agriculture, a broad-based agricultural consultancy focused on improving farm business performance.

When: Wednesday and Thursday, 27 - 28 November, 8:30 to 5 pm both days.

Where: Hamilton, location when you register.

Cost - $262.50*pp + GST (usually $1,750pp + GST).

*Discounted prices are possible thanks to support from Agriculture Victoria’s Farm Business Resilience program funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

Cost includes a comprehensive set of workshop notes, workbook, decision support spreadsheet tools and catering.

Register now for Business EDGE.

Registrations close 20 November. Places are limited.

For more information contact Meridian Agriculture (03) 5341 6100 or at info@meridian-ag.com.au.

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