• EOI for on-farm demonstration opportunity – now open
• WeedScan: A new weapon in the war against weeds
• It’s time for a honey bee check-up
• Golden opportunities to find a nugget on school holidays
• It's never you, until it is
• After the flood - episode 6
• 2024 Gippsland Food and Fibre awards - applications open
• AgTech Innovators season 2, episode 4: Growing AgTech with Calum Archibald
• The Horticultural Netting Program closing next week
• Gippsland farm forestry grants are now available
• Fox and wild dog bounty resumes
• Free financial counselling with RFCS
• In case you missed it 
• What's on

Is there a technology, innovation or research finding that your producer group is keen to test on-farm?

Agriculture Victoria, in partnership with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), is conducting a new producer demonstration program with the opportunity to establish five new on-farm demonstration projects.

Agriculture Victoria Project Leader Farming Systems, Bindi Hunter, said the program is inviting expressions of interest from Victorian sheep and beef producer groups to design and conduct their own three-year project.

‘The demonstrations are conducted on group members’ farms (preferably three sites per project per year) and involve participation by members in group activities, including skill development, site monitoring and discussion of results.

‘Projects must be focused on increasing adoption of key management practices or commercially available technologies that improve business profitability, farm productivity and sustainability,’ Ms Hunter said.

Selected projects will focus on demonstrating systems or technologies in one of four priority areas:

• Manage and adapt to a changing climate or specific regional conditions (e.g. addressing feed gaps, grazing system, enterprise mix)
• Reduce emissions or emissions intensity, (e.g. reproductive efficiencies, feed types and quality, soil fertility management)
• Manage animal health and welfare risks resulting from increasing/ emerging biosecurity threats in a changing climate
• Implement on-farm innovations that improve production and management efficiencies (e.g. recent research findings, genetics, ag tech).

Expressions of interest close on Monday 13 May 2024.

For more information and to receive an expression of interest form, go to https://go.vic.gov.au/3fTKvdU or contact Bindi Hunter, Project Leader Farming Systems on 0428 589 016 or at bindi.hunter@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Weeds are one of the biggest threats to Australia’s biodiversity, agriculture and economy, costing us about $5 billion a year in lost productivity, control and environmental damage. They represent a serious risk to our native flora, fauna and water quality and contribute to bushfire risk with additional fuel loads.

Recent floods across the country have the potential to trigger the next surge of weeds in Australia. Floods can spread seeds and plant parts to new areas that may have been weed-free. These conditions can also be favourable for weed germination, growth and reduced competition from other plants and animals. Major weeds at risk of further spread include Siam weed, miconia (purple plague) and Limnocharis.

But weeds are not invincible. We have a new weapon in our arsenal to fight them: WeedScan, Australia’s first artificial intelligence weed identification, notification and management app.

WeedScan is a game changer for anyone who cares about our environment and our future. It’s a free, easy-to-use digital tool that enables users to identify, report and map priority weeds simply by scanning the suspected weed. This powerful new tool can help us prevent, detect and respond to weed invasions. It can help us protect our precious natural resources and our livelihoods.

Already the app has had over 10,000 downloads since its launch in December 2023 and users have submitted more than 3,000 weed records from around the country.

One of the key features of WeedScan is that it can identify many new and emerging priority weeds - not garden weeds - that may be unknown to most people. These are the weeds that have the potential to become the next big threat, if left unchecked.

WeedScan can alert users and local authorities of these incursions, allowing them to take swift and effective action. It can also provide users with links to local weed management information and best practice guidelines.

The app is not a substitute for human expertise, but a complement. It can help users learn more about weeds and their impacts while connecting them with others who share their concerns and goals.

WeedScan is an app built by Australians, for Australians. It is tailored to our unique conditions and challenges. It is an app that can make a difference.

The app is supported by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, Australia’s national science agency - CSIRO, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the South Australian, Queensland and Victorian Governments and was funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. It is the result of years of research and development, involving botanists, agronomists, computer scientists and community groups.

Try the WeedScan app now: it’s available on most smartphones or as a web application at weedscan.org.au

With over 47,900 registered beekeepers who own approximately 855,300 hives, keeping Australia’s honey bee population healthy is no mean feat.

‘Bee Pest Blitz’ is an annual month-long national campaign to increase awareness of the importance of bee biosecurity and encourage beekeepers to inspect their hives for high priority exotic and established pests.

Launched in 2023, the annual campaign calls on all Australian honey bee beekeepers to undertake biosecurity surveillance activities.

'Surveillance is key to the timely detection of new pests and provides the best chance for industries and governments to respond before pests become established and widespread,' says Sarah Hilton, Bee Biosecurity Manager at Plant Health Australia.  

Under the Honey Bee Industry Code of Practice beekeepers are required to inspect their hives twice per year, using a method that looks for the presence of arthropod pests, including Varroa spp. (varroa) and Tropilaelaps spp. (tropilaelaps) mites. By participating in ‘Bee Pest Blitz’ beekeepers will fulfil one of their annual bee biosecurity obligations and requirements. 

This time of the year is ideal to conduct hive inspections which are crucial for the early detection of extoic and reporting of high priority established bee pests. Beekeepers are asked to keep samples of suspected pests and report their findings via the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline 1800 084 881. Surveillance reporting will be handled at a jurisdictional level and all personal information will be kept confidential. 

'Maintaining honey bee health and sustainable bee populations is essential for the future production of Australian honey and supporting those agricultural sectors that depend on honey bee pollination services,' says Sarah.

‘Bee Pest Blitz’ is a Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) funded initiative, led by PHA, and supported by the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council and all state and territory governments.

Visit beepestblitz.com.au from for free surveillance resources and video tutorial.

The school holidays are a great time to head out to Victoria’s historic regions and experience the excitement of hunting for a gold nugget – and it could result in a valuable discovery.

Warmer than average autumn weather makes it an ideal time to have fun with family and friends in regional Victoria.

As well as being great fun, recreational prospecting can also bring a windfall with the gold price at over $3000 an ounce.  In October last year a nugget weighing 119 grams was found between Inglewood and Wedderburn by two prospectors using a metal detector- one of the men was trying his hand for the first time.

Earlier in 2023 a prospector using a metal detector discovered a 4.6kg nugget, valued at around $240,000, in Victoria’s Golden Triangle in the state’ central west. A gold nugget worth about $200,000 was also discovered in the same area in 2019.

Prospecting is a way of looking for gold or gems using metal detectors, picks, shovels, sieves and pans. The use of mechanical equipment or explosives is not permitted, vegetation and Aboriginal objects must not be removed or damaged.

Recreational prospectors need to understand where they can prospect as well as be cognisant of local weather and road conditions.

Recreational fossicking is a regulated activity in Victoria which means you need to possess a miner's right, which for just $27 allows you to keep any gold you find. There are over 87,000 active miner’s rights in Victoria and the rush to get involved shows no sign of slowing with more than 11,000 purchased in 2023.

With more Victorians hunting for gold, it’s important that prospectors are doing the right thing to protect the environment. The Earth Resources Regulator’s inspectors frequently check that prospectors are licenced, panning in permitted areas and complying with environmental safeguards.

Fossicking and recreational prospecting is permitted in state forests and in designated areas of some national, state, historic and heritage parks.

Prospectors must also obey all other public land rules, including driving only on public tracks or roads, taking all rubbish home and immediately restoring the area by backfilling any holes and replacing leaf litter.

We have a Guide to Recreational Prospecting in Victoria and a helpful video, both can be accessed by visiting resources.vic.gov.au/fossicking

'Mistakes on the farm don’t necessarily only impact yourself, they can impact a really wide group of people around you.'

Jack Armstrong a Yalla-Y-Poora sheep and cropping farmer, knows the impact safety incidents can have on not only farmers, but also the local community.

‘A successful day in farming for me is being able to go home after a good day’s hard work knowing I’ve achieved what I set out to achieve and haven’t had any big mistakes.’

‘Fatigue in farming is extremely common. When I’m fatigued, my decision making is impaired, my reaction time – it increases the risk for mistakes to happen so much more,’ Jack said.

Jack’s tips for managing fatigue on the farm

• try and stick to a routine, such as a certain amount of hectares or hours each day
• take five for a stretch and drink of water 
• check-in with others 
• don’t rush - take your time to think things through and do the job properly.

Watch Jack talk about the affects of fatigue on the farm.

Rebuilding and recovering when your livelihood has been washed away overnight is hard. 

However, some remarkable people and organisations lending a helping hand make sure you are not alone.

Bianca Jones, a Central Victorian farmer, shares her story of repair and the ‘angels’ that helped following the 2022 floods. 

One such organisation was the Rural Financial Counselling Service.

Anna McGee, Rural Finance Counsellor, explains how they reached out to farmers not long after the floods peaked.

Listen via the AgVic website.

The Gippsland Food and Fibre Awards are a region-based awards program to recognise, celebrate and reward excellence in collaboration and innovation.

Premier Awards

• Overall Gippsland Agribusiness of the Year (all entries)
• Young Agribusiness Leader of the Year
• Female Agribusiness Leader of the Year

Category Awards

• Excellence In Collaborative Partnerships
• Innovation
• Sustainability
• Adaption To Change
• Service to the Food and Fibre Industry

Applications close Sunday 14 April.

Find out more here.

Uncover the secret weapon helping AgTech startups achieve success.  

Cal Archibald from Beanstalk collaborates with AgTech startups using a fresh approach – acting as a matchmaker, translator and advisor in the space between AgTech companies and farmers.  

Beanstalk’s goal is to help large agri companies as well as groups of smallholder farmers to understand and access better technology to help them become more profitable and sustainable farmers. 

Listen online via the AgVic website.

Grants of up to $150,000 are available to eligible producers of commercial horticulture crops, excluding wine grapes, to purchase and install new netting over established production areas. The program now includes a self-installation allowance if you wish to self-install netting.

Applications close 8 April 2024.

For more information about the program visit the Horticultural Netting Grants for Victorian Horticulturalists page on our website. 

This program is delivered by the Victorian Government on behalf of the Australian Government.

The Victorian Government is again offering grants to landholders in Gippsland to assist in establishing trees for timber, as part of a broader program to encourage and support the establishment and management of plantations on farms to contribute to future timber supply.

Timber plantations can be established as woodlots, shelterbelts or wide-spaced plantings (or any combination of these) and be ideally placed within the context of a whole farm plan.

The minimum eligible plantation establishment area for a grant application is 3 hectares.

An opportunity also exists to apply for a one-off consultancy grant, to assist landholders should they require specialised and specific advice in designing and planning a plantation establishment project.

Grant applications opened on 4 March 2024 and will close on 7 March 2025.

During this open period, grants will be assessed and administered with the interested landholders progressively.

If you’re involved in a group or organisation (e.g. Landcare) and would like more information about the grants or farm forestry generally, one of our Farm Forestry Officers would be delighted to present in a group setting. 

Further information, including grant forms and guidelines is available at the VicForests website and on request via email. 

Victoria’s bounty collections resumed on 4 March 2024.

Please continue to check our website for the latest information, collection centres and dates.

Click here.

For any assistance, please speak to our bounty collection staff on collection days or call our customer service centre on 136 186.

Have you been impacted by recent floods, storms, fires or dry seasonal conditions?

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 Rural Financial Counselling Service website or call 1300 771 741.

Your pet, our pest

There is nothing cute about hedgehog trafficking.

Illegally trafficked African pygmy hedgehogs have been located in Victoria, sparking a nation-wide investigation and prompting Crime Stoppers Victoria and Agriculture Victoria to launch a new campaign, ‘Your Pet, Our Pest’.

Read the full media release here.

Building opportunities for East Gippsland timber workers

More jobs and support are available for the East Gippsland native timber industry and local communities thanks to continued investment from the Victorian Government.

Read the full media release here.

Handle with care: bobby calf transport requirements

Agriculture Victoria is keen to remind producers of their responsibilities when transporting bobby calves.

Agriculture Victoria conducts regular audits of bobby calves at saleyards, calf scales and abattoirs.

Read the full media release here.

Churchill Fellowships 2024 open now

Churchill Fellowships for 2024 opened on 1 March, offering people the opportunity to travel overseas for four to eight weeks to explore a topic or issue that they’re passionate about, and come back and share knowledge to improve their community.

Applications close 1 May at 5 pm.

Read more here.

Details about Agriculture Victoria events can be found in one spot on our website. Log on to the Events page to keep in touch with upcoming events.

When: Friday 5 and Saturday 6 April 

Where: Bairnsdale Aerodrome. 

Find out more here.

Come chat with us about farm business planning, irrigation, farm biosecurity and emergency animal diseases, climate resilience and recovery, and farm safety.

Learn about Q Fever from staff from the Gippsland Region Public Health Unit, chat with team members from GippsDairy and talk to members from Rural Financial Counselling Services.

Come hear from local agronomist Jim Colquhoun on perennial pastures. 

Topics covered: 

• ground preparation 
• pasture renovation 
• oversowing 
• species selection 
• soil nutrition requirements. 

When: Monday 8 April - BBQ at 6.15 for a 7 pm presentation start

Where: Flynns Creek Hall 

Register here.

Register by 9 am Monday 8 April. For more information, contact James Paulet on james.paulet@agriculture.vic.gov.au or 0447 695 839.

Join our webinar to hear from experts Dale Grey and Dale Boyd on Victoria’s seasonal climate outlook and soil moisture update for autumn.

Seasonal Risk Agronomist Dale Grey will provide an update on Victoria’s climate outlook for autumn and soil moisture expert Dale Boyd will provide key highlights from monitoring sites from around the state.

When: Wednesday 17 April – 12 pm 

Register here.

For more information and to stay up to date with our upcoming climate webinars visit our website.

Come along and participate in an interactive day, discussing all things farming.

Kallan and Lucy manage a 1000 cow dairy farm at Winnindo. They are supported with a roster of staff, as well as having a hands on farm owner. Attendees will discuss anything from managing the herd, and calving/rearing calves, all the way through to pasture and water management and cropping.

When: Wednesday 17 April - 11 am to 2 pm

Where: Winnindo. Farm address will be provided after registration.

Register here.

When: Tuesday 30 April - 10:30 am to 2 pm 

Where: Morwell Bowling Club, 52 Hazelwood Road, Morwell. 

Register here.

Join GippsDairy for an interactive session with Dr Nollaig Heffernan.

Dr Heffernan, a well-known Independent Management Consultant from Ireland, specialises in leadership and organisational psychology.

Dr Heffernan's dual discipline background has been invaluable in helping companies and organisations to improve their performance through both their processes and their people.

In this session, attendees will cover a combination of what it means to employ staff and staff retention, as well as information on how you can manage your career.

GippsDairy, in partnership with Saputo, is running a series of workshops to deliver the Farm Environmental Tracker tool.

This program assists farmers to understand, benchmark and action improvement on their farms environmental performance by covering a range of topics from animals to energy to effluent and biodiversity.

When: Thursday 2 May, 10 am - 2 pm

Where: Agriculture Victoria, 1301 Hazeldean Road, Ellinbank.

Register here.

Discover the future of farming at the Dairy Innovation Open Day, hosted at Agriculture Victoria's Ellinbank Research Farm.

Immerse yourself in the latest state-of-the-art research focused on farmers, and learn about animal feeding and nutrition, soil and pasture management, and on-farm climate adaptation from the experts themselves.

Not only will you gain invaluable knowledge, but you'll also have the opportunity to connect with other farmers, industry professionals, and suppliers.

When: Thursday 9 May, 8:30 am - 3 pm 

Where: Agriculture Victoria, 1301 Hazeldean Road, Ellinbank.

Register here.

The 2024 Landcare forum will take place on Wednesday 8, Thursday 9 and Friday 10 May in Bendigo.

Find out more here.

Save the date!

The Best Wool/Best Lamb and BetterBeef conference will be held over 2 days, 19 and 20 June in Ballarat. 

Further details to come. 

Livestock 2024 is the third biennial conference delivered by SALRC. This year's theme is environmental challenges and opportunities for Australian livestock industries.

Location: Atura Hotel, Albury NSW. 

Date: Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 August.

Tickets on sale soon. 

Click here to register for conference updates.

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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 the National Relay Service on 133 677 or www.relayservice.gov.au.

All contact points can be found at: agriculture.vic.gov.au/about/contact-us

Don't forget to check out Agriculture Victoria's social media sites for up-to-date information and news.