• Foot-and-mouth disease information
• Biosecurity help for small landholders
• Don't feed swill to pigs
• The nuts and bolts of hardware disease
• Tips for healthy hives
• New statement sets a clear direction for biosecurity
• Milking the Weather – spring edition is available now
• New round of grants for Victorian agricultural shows
• Protecting rural roadsides against weeds and pests
• Red Cross emergency volunteers call-out
• Report illegal spotlighting
• BeeMAX registration and surveillance database
• Gippsland Community Leadership Program
• AgVic Talk – workforce planning has never been more important
• Upcoming fox and wild dog bounty collections for South East Victoria
• 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.

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 (FMD).

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.

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.

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 beeaware biosecurity basics go to beeaware.org.au/biosecurity/biosecurity-basics/

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.

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:

• the 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
• the latest seasonal soil moisture condition assessment.

Read the spring edition of Milking the Weather here, download a copy and subscribe to future editions.

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.

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.

The government is investing $11.5 million over four years in the Weeds and Pests Control Program, providing greater protections for agriculture, roads and the environment.

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
• and 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.

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.

Have you heard the buzz?

It’s all about BeeMAX.

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 or visit BeeMAX here.

Applications are now open for two places sponsored by the Gardiner Dairy Foundation in the Gippsland Community Leadership Program (GCLP).

The places are open to people living and working in Victorian dairy regions – on dairy farms, in dairy processing, as service providers or in community organisations.

GCLP is auspiced by the Committee for Gippsland. The program is structured to provide a deep understanding of the Gippsland region and focus on individual leadership skills. Topics covered include:

• power and impact of leadership
• workings of government and political environments and the role of advocacy
• value of community connections
• diversity of Gippsland and its challenges and opportunities
• your qualities as a leader now and the leader you can become.

More information on Gardiner Dairy Foundation sponsored places and applications is available 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 🎧listen🎧 online via the AgVic website

Victorian fox and wild dog collections continue.

Electronic funds transfer (EFT) is the preferred method of payment, so please bring your EFT details to the collection centre.

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.

Collections will only be accepted at the designated times.

Have your say on Victoria’s biosecurity laws

Victorians now have the opportunity to shape the future of biosecurity as the Victorian Government works to safeguard the agriculture sector.

The government has released a discussion paper setting out key topics to guide reforms to Victoria's biosecurity legislation.

Public feedback on Victoria’s current biosecurity system is vital to ensure it remains effective, including the legislation that underpins it.

READ THE MEDIA RELEASE IN FULL HERE

COMPLETE THE SURVEY OR MAKE A SUBMISSION by Sunday 9 October 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.

Small-scale, artisanal and peri-urban landholders are invited to boost their biosecurity skills and knowledge by attending this two-part webinar series hosted by Agriculture Victoria and RSPCA Victoria.

All landholders have an important role to play in protecting their properties, animals, and our state and country from biosecurity threats.

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.

This webinar will focus on the key things you need to need to know about biosecurity.

Webinar 1 – Wednesday 28 September, 6.30 to 8 pm

Register here

Topics covered in week one include:

• What is biosecurity?
• What is safe for your animals to eat?
• Introducing new livestock safely?
• What can you do to manage biosecurity?
• Where can you find information?

Webinar 2 – Wednesday 5 October, 6.30 to 8 pm

Register here

This second webinar will cover topics that include:

• A recap from last week
• Identifying the risks to your animals
• What you can do to reduce the risks.

The presenters, Rachael Laukart, RSPCA Victoria and Brett Davidson, Agriculture Victoria have many years of experience in animal management.

For more information, contact Melissa Cann by email on melissa.cann@agriculture.vic.gov.au or phone 0408 052 845.

Bairnsdale – Tuesday 4 October 

Swifts Creek – Wednesday 5 October

Agriculture Victoria is delivering a free workshop for livestock producers to understand the disease, pest and plant biosecurity risks in their region, the impact they may have on their business and develop an on-farm biosecurity plan.

WHEN AND WHERE

Bairnsdale

• Tuesday 4 October, 10 am to 3 pm
• DELWP office, 574 Main Street, Bairnsdale
• Register HERE

Swifts Creek

• Wednesday 5 October, 10 am to 3 pm
• DELWP office, 13 McMillan Avenue, Swifts Creek
• Register HERE

TOPICS

• why is biosecurity important and what programs and systems support the livestock industries
• what are the disease, pest and plant biosecurity risks in your local area
• how to use a matrix to rank the likelihood and impact of risks on your business
• setting up a biosecurity kit and facilities on-farm
• create your on-farm biosecurity plan and put it into action.

MORE INFORMATION 

Contact Morgan Cassell, Agriculture Victoria on 0427 681 714 or morgan.cassell@agriculture.vic.gov.au

This project received funding from the Cattle Compensation Fund / Sheep and Goat Compensation Fund as part of the 2021 Livestock Biosecurity Funds Grant Program, which exists to provide grants to bolster the state's biosecurity and assist in preventing and managing pests and diseases.

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 contact Jane Court from Agriculture Victoria on 0436 606 742 or jane.court@agriculture.vic.gov.au 

See a VRI pivot in action as it switches on and off over farm assets and get a look at the dashboard technology, soil map integration and application customisability.

A little about the project

The project will be conducted from June 2022 through March 2024 in the Macalister Irrigation District (MID), to determine the efficacy of variable rate irrigation (VRI) applied to a pivot, with irrigation prescription based on soil type and topography, for the purpose of ameliorating waterlogged areas and increasing soil moisture uniformity in the paddock.

The paddock selected for this demonstration is significantly undulating and has consistent problem wet areas that do not have drainage.

Currently when the pivot irrigates it compounds the problem and the areas remain consistently waterlogged.

Cows wallow in these areas causing soil pugging, further exacerbating the problem.

Additionally, there are a number of animal health issues that are compounded by the animals wallowing in wet and muddy areas, including increased lameness and mastitis rates.

For any enquiries contact: Caelan McIntosh, Irrigation Extension Officer on 0476 885 716 or caelan.mcintosh@agriculture.vic.gov.au

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.

Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) Gippsland have partnered with the National Centre Farmer Health, Hearing Australia and our local bush nursing services to celebrate rural wellness during Mental Health Week in October.

Community BBQs will be held across in three locations in East Gippsland where local farmers can get together, relax, check-in with each other, and take advantage of a free health check-up. 

Bush nurses and Hearing Australia will be performing health screens and assessments, along with RFCS Gippsland available to connect with your financial and wellbeing support.

Drop in between 10 am – 2 pm to enjoy some good food, great company, and a chance to win a lucky door prize.

WHEN AND WHERE:

• Tuesday 11 October, Buchan Recreation Reserve, 5609 Buchan-Orbost Rd, Buchan
• Wednesday 12 October, Bairnsdale Neighbourhood House, 27 Dalmahoy St, Bairnsdale
• Thursday 13 October, Benambra Neighbourhood House, 34 Gibbo St, Benambra.

Enjoying the Gippsland Ag News? Then why not forward to a friend or subscribe yourself.

It's easy – simply click this link.

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.