• Avian influenza Control Area Orders updated
• Irrigators deep dive into soil moisture monitoring
• Investing in the future of our rising farming leaders
• The Very Fast Break videos – latest is now available
• Fatigue on the farm
• Have you reviewed your farm fire plan?
• Fruit Growers Victoria horticulture safety videos now available
• Free financial counselling available now
• Funding for AgTech startups
• Bee business training video
• Dry seasons support
• Help our high country – report invasive hawkweed
• Grants up to $1 million to support businesses development and create jobs
• 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 to 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.

Irrigators in the Mildura region are set to benefit from an upcoming workshop diving into the detail of soil moisture monitoring.

Jeremy Giddings from Agriculture Victoria and Adam Brown from CropX will lead a half day workshop designed for people interested in soil moisture monitoring data and how to use it to optimise their irrigation needs.

‘The workshop will start with soil water principles such as the active rootzone and ideal depth for irrigation and we will use capacitance probe data from a range of monitoring systems to demonstrate this,’ Mr Giddings said.

‘The course content is applicable to all capacitance probe systems. If your data is cloud based, we encourage you to bring your login details and have the data interpreted, to help you get the most out of the session.

‘We will also walk through understanding graphs including summed and split-level graphs, how to set refill and fill points, graph responses, integration and data presentation,’ he said.

Workshops will run from 9–11 am at the following locations:

• Robinvale, Wednesday 27 November at the Robinvale Hospital Conference Room, 128 Latje Rd
• Mildura (Irymple), Thursday 28 November Agriculture Victoria Office, Corner Koorlong Avenue and 11th St.

Workshop places are limited.

Irrigators should contact Jeremy Giddings, Agriculture Victoria Regional Manager Irrigation Mallee on 0427 102 285 or email jeremy.giddings@agriculture.vic.gov.au to learn more and book a spot.

Victoria’s brightest young farming leaders will be supported to invest in their future and explore new learning opportunities while being backed by the Victorian Government to build the future of agriculture in Victoria.

Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence recently presented 16 recipients with their scholarship certificates for this year’s Young Farmers Upskill and Invest Scholarships at Parliament House.

Each scholarship will receive up to $5,000 to pursue new learning opportunities and a further $5,000 to put their new skills into practice.

Successful applicants will receive training to build their knowledge and expertise in areas such as irrigation, agronomy, conservation and land management as well as core business skills in areas including accounting, human resources and marketing.

Once they have completed their studies, applicants can invest in modern technology and equipment, on-farm strategies and planning, and their own professional development to kickstart their career as a farmer.

Anurag Bhangu, a beekeeper from Gippsland, is committed to enhancing his skills by completing a workshop on artificial insemination of queen bees as well as a bee breeding course.

He will also invest in a queen bee artificial insemination kit.

This will enable him to selectively breed queen bees that are better suited to the region’s cooler climate and more resistant to Varroa mite.

Amy Byrne helps manage a mixed-farming enterprise in north-east Victoria.

She will upskill by completing the lifetime ewe management course and seek the support of a consultant to support her to invest in electronic identification equipment.

Since 2015, the government has awarded 133 Young Farmers Upskill and Invest scholarships to students that demonstrated drive and innovation.

Many of the previous recipients have gone on to play a vital role in industry leadership positions such as the Victorian Young Farmers Advisory Council.

The council represents the views of young farmers and provides advice to government to help grow a sustainable and profitable agriculture sector.

For more information on the young farmer programs visit agriculture.vic.gov.au.

The Very Fast Break is delivered monthly as short YouTube videos summarising oceanic and atmospheric climate drivers and the summarised model predictions for rainfall and temperature for Victoria.

View the latest here

Fatigue isn't the same as being sleepy or drowsy. It’s about pushing our bodies beyond their mental and physical limits day after day, with no time to recover.

Watch the video of farmer Simon Craig and get tips to manage fatigue on your farm.

You can learn more about managing fatigue at the WorkSafe website Fatigue on the farm | WorkSafe Victoria

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. 

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

This Farming Safe and Well tip of the week is to share the Fruit Growers Victoria safety videos with your workers, available in 9 languages.

Keep an eye out for more safety videos coming soon.

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

Visit the Fruit Growers Victoria training resources page on their website here. 

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.

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​.

‘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

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.

This spring, enjoy our high country while helping to preserve its beauty and biodiversity. 

While bushwalking, mountain biking or hiking, we encourage you to report invasive hawkweed and help protect our environment and agriculture.

Hawkweed poses a significant threat to our local ecosystems, spreading quickly and releasing chemicals that prevent other plants from growing. 

This is why you must report it immediately if you see it.

What to look for

All hawkweeds have hairy leaves and stems. Leaves form a low growing rosette.

King devil hawkweed (Hieracium praealtum or Pilosella piloselloides)

• yellow flowers with square-ended petals
• clusters of up to 25 flower heads per stem.

Mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella or Pilosella officinarum)

• yellow flower with square-ended petals
• solitary flower on each stem.

Orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum or Pilosella aurantiaca)

• bright orange flowers with square-ended petals
• clusters of 5 to 30 flower heads per stem.

Know exactly what you’re looking for and check out our identification video and 3D model of Orange hawkweed before heading out.

Beware of look-alikes

When identifying hawkweed, be aware of similar-looking plants that are often mistaken for hawkweed, like common dandelion and native yam daisy which are hairless and have a single flower per stalk.

Knowing your hawkweed means timely and targeted intervention, but even if in doubt it is better to still report.

What to do

If you think you have seen hawkweed:

• call Agriculture Victoria on 136 186
• email weed.spotters@agriculture.vic.gov.au
• report online agriculture.vic.gov.au/hawkweed

Dahlsen’s Steel Truss and Frame at Newmerella, a joint venture between Dahlsens and Built QA. They received a $500,000 grant in Round 1 of the Forestry Transition Fund grants program.

The Forestry Transition Fund aims to support business development and the creation of jobs across all industry sectors in towns or communities affected by the end of native timber harvesting.​  

Following the successful delivery of round 1 of the Forestry Transition Fund grants program, round 2 is now open with grants between $10,000 and $1 million available to eligible businesses and industry groups to expand, diversify or start new businesses. 

Successful grant applicants may also be eligible for a Transitioning Timber Worker Employment Incentive Payment of up to $20,000 per ex-native timber worker the project employs.​ 

Applications will be accepted from business and industry groups, including chambers of commerce and associations, peak bodies and business networks, as well as councils and incorporated not-for-profit organisations that act as a business .

Expressions of Interest are now open, and applications close at 5 pm on 31 October 2025. 

For more information and to view the guidelines visit the Forestry Transition Fund or call 1800 318 182. 

Farmers get ahead of the carbon curve

With global and national regulations focusing more on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Professor Richard Eckard emphasised that carbon is no longer just an environmental concern – it’s becoming a critical business consideration for Australian farmers.

Read the media release in full here.

DAMDEEP tool impresses farmers in south west

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.

Details about Agriculture Victoria events can now be found in one spot on our website.

Visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/events to find out what's on.

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