What's On

• Upcoming events

What's New

• Monitoring continues for Japanese encephalitis
• Growing the careers of Victoria's young farmers
• Breaking through the autumn predictability barrier

BestWool/BestLamb

• BWBL Group Profile: Western Plains - Final year of Producer Demonstration Site shows management can influence lamb survival
• Victorian fox and wild dog bounty back in 2022
• Research survey: Sheep tail docking

BetterBeef

• Feeding Livestock: Feed budgeting takes out the guesswork
• Research survey: What are the challenges farmers face in livestock farming?
• How to complete an eNVD

Beef and Sheep News

• What would an exotic disease outbreak look like on my property?
• Inspect your dam to avoid failure
• Keeping wild dog management front and centre at Ensay

Ag Recovery

• Recovery after fire: practical steps for farmers
• Supporting landholders impacted by fires and floods across Victoria
• Financial and business support
• Regional weather and climate guides
• Recovery after storms and floods: support for primary producers
• Primary producer grants now available for farmers affected by the June 2021 severe weather event
• West Wimmera fire support
• Central Highlands storm support

Quick Links

• Links to Feeding Livestock website, AWI, MLA, The Fast Break, Rural Financial Counselling Service and more

PLEASE NOTE: The events listed below may be subject to last minute cancellation in the event of an emergency or advice from Victoria’s Chief Health Officer.

[Back to Top]

Agriculture Victoria has detected Japanese encephalitis virus at one new piggery.

The detection is the result of national surveillance efforts to identify new cases and determine the extent and spread of the disease and the source of its introduction.

Japanese encephalitis has also been confirmed in piggeries in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.

Agriculture Victoria is also working closely with both the pig and horse industries in response to the disease. A number of suspected cases are under investigation.

Detections have been confirmed at a total of 15 properties in the Wangaratta, Moira, Greater Shepparton, Campaspe, Gannawarra, Loddon, Greater Bendigo and Northern Grampians local government areas.

Agriculture Victoria’s incident management team continues to work closely with industry, conducting surveillance activities and providing advice and information to farmers, livestock and horse owners.

Infection is not spread directly from pigs to people, and there is no risk to humans from eating pig meat.

In general, spread is through the movement of migratory water birds and through the movement of infected mosquitoes, often over long distances. It does not usually spread directly from animal to animal (i.e. it is not considered contagious).

Victorians are being reminded to protect themselves from mosquito bites particularly when we are spending time outdoors.

Japanese Encephalitis vaccines are recommended for people at a higher risk of exposure to the virus, such as those working with pigs. All people should undertake measures to reduce exposure to mosquitos.

For more information about Japanese Encephalitis virus and animals visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

For more information about Japanese Encephalitis virus and human health contact your GP or phone NURSE-ON-CALL on 1300 606 024, or go to the Department of Health website. 

[Back to Top]

Young farmers across the state can now apply for the 2022 Upskill and Invest Young Farmers Scholarships to help their careers grow and support their contribution to Victoria's vibrant agriculture sector.

Launching this year’s scholarship program recently, Agriculture Victoria’s Acting Executive Director of Agriculture Policy, Dr Julie Simons encourages young farmers to apply for the scholarships that will allow them to take the next steps in their agricultural careers.

“In an industry that is undergoing constant evolution, fostering our young talent and giving them tools to thrive and succeed is vital,” said Dr Simons.

Under the program, which has awarded 89 scholarships since 2015, eligible young farmers can boost their skills and careers with up to $10,000 each to upskill through training or education, and to invest on-farm or for further professional development.

In 2021, thirteen young farmers were awarded scholarships covering the breadth of Victoria’s agriculture regions and industries including beef, sheep, cropping, horticulture, dairy, viticulture and aquaculture.

The scholarship program has supported these farmers to upskill in topics such as agribusiness, livestock management, and farm business management.

Following on, scholarship recipients often invest in professional development or business planning, or in on-farm initiatives such as electronic ID tags, digital scales or consultant support.

Applications for this year’s round of scholarships are open to farmers aged 35 or under who have been working in farm businesses for at least three days a week for the past three months, with at least two years total experience on-farm.

The Victorian Government is continuing to modernise the agriculture industry, undertaking work to deliver the agriculture skills for the future through initiatives like the Young Farmers Scholarship Program, and the Young Farmer Business Bootcamps, Young Farmer and New Entrant Mentoring Program and the Young Farmers Advisory Council.

To find out more about the program and to apply for a scholarship, visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

Applications are now open and will close on Monday 18 April.

[Back to Top]

Autumn is a critical time for farmers as they anticipate the break.

Many are understandably looking for more accurate seasonal forecasting at precisely the time the world’s climate drivers are in transition.

Agriculture Victoria seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey said the overriding message to farmers was to use caution when determining what the seasonal outlook models are predicting and work with what they know.

“In most autumns, the Pacific and Indian oceans are resetting from what they were doing in spring and summer and have not shown their hand enough for us to know what direction they might be going in the growing season ahead,” Mr Grey said.

“Occasionally there are exceptions, for example, late May 2015, when a majority of models had a consensus on drier conditions, with an El Niño eventuating.

“Also, seasonal models pick up on recurring patterns, however it is usually an individual weather event or two which we know are more likely to trigger enough rain for an autumn break.”

“In autumn it is always best to go with the ‘known knowns’; know how much stored soil moisture, feed and water stores you have and know what your back-up plan will be if it hasn’t rained by a certain date.”

Agriculture Victoria’s Grains Seasonal Risk team has also developed the ‘Autumn predictability barrier’ eLearn to provide more details to farmers about how the skill of a model is calculated, why the models struggle in autumn, some example years, and some tips for what they could be considering during autumn.

Also available through the Agriculture Victoria website are a series of Climate and weather courses, including:

• how to read the Fast Break table
• how to read a sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) map
• understanding the weather forecast. What does it all mean?
• Past, Present and Future Climate eBook for the Victorian Mallee Victorian climate projections.

To keep Victorian farmers up to date on the latest, The Fast Break newsletter and The Very Fast Break videos detail Pacific and Indian oceans and atmospheric climate driver activity each month and summarise three-month model predictions for rainfall and temperature.

The team also produces the My Rain Gauge is Busted podcast series covering all things climate and farming.

[Back to Top]

The Western Plains BestWool/BestLamb (BWBL) group have recently finished a three-year on-farm producer demonstration in Victoria's south-west which looked at factors impacting lamb survival.

The project looked at ewe condition and feed on offer throughout pregnancy, as well as mob size and shelter at lambing, and how each of these factors influenced lamb survival rates. The project was funded by Agriculture Victoria and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

To view their findings, read the full group profile on the Agriculture Victoria website.

[Back to Top]

Victoria’s fox and wild dog bounty collections have recommenced. 

Collection centres are operating across the state in line with COVIDSafe requirements. 

Details of collection centre locations, dates and times are available on the Agriculture Victoria website.

Agriculture Victoria Biosecurity Manager Jason Wishart said eligible participants could submit entire fox scalps for a $10 reward and entire wild dog body parts for a $120 reward during scheduled collection times.

“Hunters should visit the Agriculture Victoria website to refresh their knowledge of the terms and conditions of the bounty and to ensure the pieces they submit are acceptable,” Mr Wishart said.

More than 940,000 fox scalps and 4,200 wild dog body parts have been collected in Victoria since the fox and wild dog bounty was introduced in 2011.

“In 2021 alone, some 69,915 fox scalps and 309 wild dog body parts were collected from 1136 hunters,” Mr Wishart said.

“We achieved this last year despite reduced mobility and temporary pauses in collections due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“Although the numbers are lower than achieved in years before the pandemic, it was still a tremendous effort by our Victorian community.”

Foxes and wild dogs require ongoing management by all private and public land managers.

Mr Wishart said the most effective programs take an integrated approach using a range of control options such as baiting, shooting, fencing and trapping.

“Foxes and wild dogs can have a significant impact on the profitability and productivity of Victoria’s livestock sector and are detrimental to our native wildlife and landscape.”

The bounty will run until the end of October 2022, consistent with previous years.

Visit the Agriculture Victoria website to find out more or call the Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

[Back to Top]

Funded by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), a PhD project is investigating current sheep tail docking practice, variation, and change, and is being supported by another project on mulesing.

View information about the project and participate in the online survey or for further information contact University of Melbourne PhD Candidate Madeleine Woodruff on 0406 195 717 or email.

Producers that participate in both the online survey and phone interview will receive a $30 gift voucher.

[Back to Top]

Erica Schelfhorst, Livestock Extension Officer 

Feed budgeting allows for better and more timely decisions, such as determining the number of stock you can carry, and for how long, and the likely animal performance for different classes of stock.

They can be prepared a day, a week or several months ahead and separate budgets can be prepared for different mobs or areas of the farm and can help support grazing decisions to alleviate potential for environmental damage, such as the risk of erosion or pugging.

The tools and resources on Agriculture Victoria’s Feeding Livestock website can help develop feed budgets for any class of stock and production status.

Read the full article and access feed budgeting tools on Agriculture Victoria’s Feeding Livestock website.

[Back to Top]

BetterBeef supports industry research that builds on Australia’s reputation for agricultural production that is best practice, consistently meeting consumer expectations and competitive in global markets.

Dr Natarsha Williams is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne veterinary school. Natarsha is a veterinarian with 30 years’ experience, including seven years as a district veterinary officer with Agriculture Victoria.

Natarsha’s PhD is about improving animal welfare standards for livestock. As part of her PhD, Natarsha is reaching out to the livestock industry to better understand the on-farm factors that have a positive or negative impact on animals used in production.

Dr Andrew Fisher and Dr Lauren Hemsworth, from the University of Melbourne, and Dr Sarah Chaplin from Agriculture Victoria are also involved in this research.

Natarsha is optimistic that with the information obtained, as part of her PhD, better informed strategies can be developed to provide support, intervention, and education to farmers to improve management, care and welfare outcomes for livestock. 

The entire livestock industry will benefit from reducing the incidences of poor livestock welfare, as such incidences potentially pose a risk to consumer confidence and market access.

Please support this research by completing the short survey. The survey allows farmers to have their say on what they feel the issues are and what some potential solutions might be.

To be eligible to participate, you need to be at least 18 years old and have more than six months experience farming beef cattle, sheep, or goats. The survey is anonymous and takes about 15 - 20 minutes to complete.

Either scan the QR code and complete the survey on your phone, or complete the survey online.

The overall findings from Natarsha’s research will be available as a PhD thesis on the Animal Welfare Science Centre website and in scientific journals.

[Back to Top]

Integrity Systems Company – red meat customer assurance.

A short video guide to using the faster, easier electronic National Vendor Declaration (eNVD) system is available.

The mobile-friendly eNVD system is available for Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) accredited producers, feedlots and value chain stakeholders to use.

A simple step-by-step guide can also be downloaded. To access LPA eNVDs visit the Integrity Systems Company website.

[Back to Top]

Dr Jeff Cave, Senior Veterinary Officer.

You could hardly imagine a more stressful scenario for a livestock producer, an exotic disease being diagnosed on their property – have you ever wondered what happens next?

Of course, there are numerous possible scenarios and the approach taken would vary according to the specific disease.

A series of documents known as AUSVETPLAN are in place to guide the process to help ensure a consistent, effective response and successful outcome.

In general, initially the producer’s property may be quarantined to help limit the disease spreading to other properties.

Further investigative samples may be collected to confirm the diagnosis and to help determine the extent of its spread on the property. These samples would be tested at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong.

Epidemiological information, such as recent movements on and off the property, would be collected to help guide tracing and surveillance activities on other properties.

Accurate and up-to-date records of movements of livestock, visitors, contractors, machinery etc on and off property are essential to quickly identify any movements that need to be traced and the possible source of the infection.

Accurate and timely recording by farmers of cattle, sheep, goats and pig movements between properties with different Property Identification Codes (PIC) through completing a National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database transfer is critical to the process. For more information on NLIS and PICs visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

When the disease is confirmed, an Incident Control Centre (ICC) may be established by Agriculture Victoria at a suitable location, usually in a nearby town. The ICC activities would be directed and monitored by the State Coordination Centre.

Infected premises operations would be put into place to eradicate the disease on the property and to ensure contaminated material doesn’t leave the property.

This would vary according to the nature of the disease. If destruction of livestock or other materials were necessary, compensation may be given through pre-existing cost sharing arrangements between government and industry.

Local movement controls may be put in place through the declaration of Restricted and Control areas.

Eventually, when eradication of the disease is achieved, proof of freedom testing would be necessary to demonstrate to our trading partners the disease has been successfully eradicated.

It sounds overwhelming, but these activities and processes are necessary to preserve Australia’s multi-billion-dollar livestock industries and to prevent the establishment of an exotic disease.

Naturally, prevention through strict border control, good on-farm biosecurity, and compliance with preventive measures such as the swill feeding ban is far preferable to dealing with the ramifications of an exotic disease outbreak.

Industry representatives play a critical role during an exotic disease outbreak by providing industry perspective, essential advice, and guidance on response matters.

This may occur at the national, state or local level and there may be specific industry liaison officers working in the Incident Control Centre or State Control Centre contributing industry-specific advice to assist the response planning and identify ways to reduce the overall impacts of the disease outbreak.

Agriculture Victoria encourages producers to report any unusual signs or suspected cases of emergency animal disease without delay to the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Early reporting increases the chance of effective control and eradication. The UK Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak in 2001 was not initially reported for at least two weeks leading to the infection of thousands of other properties and the destruction of millions of livestock.

For further information on emergency animal disease visit the Agriculture Victoria website or contact your local Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer on 136 186.

[Back to Top]

Farmers are encouraged to undertake a detailed inspection of their dams, following significant storm and flood events in recent months.

Agriculture Victoria farm water supply specialist Clem Sturmfels said the risk of dam failure has increased significantly, due to the rapid rise in dam water levels, overtopping of dam walls and blocked spillways.

Mr Sturmfels encouraged landholders to inspect and monitor their gully dams on a regular basis to look for signs of bank subsidence, cracking, leaks and/or tunnelling.

“Landholders should also check dam spillways and outlet pipes to ensure they have ample capacity and are free of sediment, debris and excessive vegetation.

“Gully dams are of particular concern as much of the water is stored above ground level and held back by an earthen bank,” he said.

The sudden failure of a gully dam can pose a major safety issue to individuals and communities downstream, as well as resulting in the loss of the water and added cost of repairs.

Mr Sturmfels recommends taking a systematic approach when undertaking a dam inspection.

“Start by walking around the waterline looking for signs of damage. I usually commence my inspection at the dam inlet checking for signs of undermining or collapse, making sure the dam excavation is completely covered with water when the dam is full.

“Take careful note of the water itself, look for signs of discolouration or small whirlpools that may indicate tunnelling or leakage through the dam wall. Then move on to the dam wall itself checking the crest, upstream and downstream faces. 

“The bank crest should have a well-rounded top to avoid ponding and be at least one metre above the dam’s full supply level. The faces of the dam wall should be gently sloping and free of erosion. The entire bank should have good cover of topsoil and be well grassed.

“The dam spillway needs to be level, flat and stable with adequate capacity to handle major storm events,” he said.

The last part of the inspection is a thorough inspection immediately downstream of the dam wall looking for signs of seepage, tunnelling or erosion commonly indicated by wet, boggy areas or excessive vegetation.

A 1 metre x 12mm steel probe makes a useful tool for checking the condition of dam walls and for locating wet patches downstream, he added.

Landholders should contact their local water authority and Council Planning Officer prior to undertaking repairs or maintenance activities.

For further information on managing dams visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

[Back to Top]

National Wild Dog Action Plan.

Keeping ongoing wild dog control front and centre in Victoria’s Gippsland district has been a decade long concern for cattle producer Ken Skews.

Ken was among the producers spearheading the formation of the Ensay Community Wild Dog Control Group which coined the phrase: “Get sheep back to Ensay”.

It has been a long journey for him and his wife Kym as they lost their sheep enterprise along the way, but Ken believes keeping that on-ground industry investment strong is vital, and he has worked hard to influence departmental policy over the years for the benefit of landholders.

He recently retrofitted an existing wild dog exclusion fence (four hot wires and three plain) with three wires on top to exclude feral deer and kangaroos from neighbouring crown land.

“Our wild dog problem is now almost non-existent,” he said.
“Ten years ago, nobody talked about anything but dogs, even the weeds were pushed off the agenda.

“It was nothing to see a pack of wild dogs wandering across our property in the middle of the day. They were all over the district.
“We were running sheep but in the end we gave up as we couldn’t keep them alive.”

Ken, along with other Gippsland producers, tell their stories on a series of videos on exclusion fencing and mental well-being produced by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning under the DeFence project.

The DeFence project involved the National Wild Dog Action Plan, East Gippsland Shire Council, East Gippsland Landcare, Australian Wool Innovation and Department Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

The mental anguish over dealing with maimed and dead stock remains raw for Ken.

“It does your head in – I would go out at dusk, dawn, midnight, 3 am, and anytime and never see a wild dog, but come back in the morning and there would be dead lambs.

“We lost over 100 marked lambs in a six-week period…the dogs were that bold.

“When they were at their worst, the only way we could keep the sheep alive was to bring them into the orchard at the back of the house each night.”

Ken worked with the professional wild dog controllers on baiting and trapping.

Frustration over the lack of baiting on crown land and follow-up on reporting activity saw Ken and other producers, as part of the Ensay Community Wild Dog Action Group, take the issue directly to the Minister for Agriculture to enact change.

“These were two important breakthroughs for us. We were really up against it as basically it came down to if you had a good dogman, you were OK,” he said.

“There are five landholders along the interface here and we have 33 GPS-marked baiting sites along the edge of the bush to keep the system in place.”

Although many landholders now have exclusion fencing and/or switched to cattle, Ken continues to keep wild dog control front and centre in the district.

“We are all still actively baiting, and our wild dog controller keeps us informed on wild dog activity,” he said.

“There haven’t been any wild dog attacks around here for a long time but there is evidence of activity not far out in the bush.”
He feels producers must constantly defend their social licence around wild dog control and biodiversity.

“There is a mindset among some of the people critical of baiting wild dogs that farmers want to kill all the dogs – we don’t want to kill all the wild dogs, we just don’t want the dogs to come onto our properties killing our stock.”

For more information visit the National Wild Dog Action Plan or email.

Access helpful resources and toolkits on the PestSmart website.

[Back to Top]

An updated recovery guide is now available to help farmers rebuild and provide a one-stop reference to the support available. The guide includes steps to take immediately after the fire and for short-term recovery and longer-term rebuilding. It covers re-fencing, dealing with erosion and flooding, pasture recovery, pest and weed control and preparing for the next season.

The printed booklet is available from Agriculture Victoria, by contacting our agriculture recovery managers (details noted below) or phone 136 186 or digital version online.

[Back to Top]

The Victorian and Commonwealth Government are supporting landholders impacted by fires and floods across Victoria.

For more information on bushfire recovery programs or recovery from floods/storm events, visit the Agriculture Victoria website or phone 136 186.

Regional Agriculture Victoria Recovery Managers;

• North East – Kylie Macreadie 0428 975 728 or email
• Gippsland – Darren Hickey 0457 609 140 or email

Visit the Bushfire Recovery Victoria website or 1800 560 760.

[Back to Top]

Rural Financial Counselling Service

The Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS) have an experienced team ready to assist primary producers and small rural business in recovery planning.

Financial counsellors can help develop financial forecasts and business plans required for lenders or investors, plus connect with support agencies and services.

RFCS provides free financial counselling to farmers and small related businesses who are in, or at risk of, financial hardship. They can also assist with filling in forms and grant applications.

For more information or to book an appointment call RFCS Gippsland on 1300 045 747 or RFCS North East on 1300 834 775.

[Back to Top]

The Regional Weather and Climate Guides project is part of the Commonwealth Government Drought Assistance Package.

The project aims to improve the resilience of farming businesses by providing localised facts about the likelihood, severity, and duration of key weather variables in regions across the country.

The weather and climate information will be delivered through a set of guides corresponding to Australia's Natural Resource Management regions.

The project is a collaboration between the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO, and FarmLink Research.

The guides have been developed in collaboration with representatives from each NRM region to ensure the information is tailored to the needs of local farmers and agribusinesses.

For more information visit the Bureau of Meteorology.

[Back to Top]

Agriculture Victoria’s Ag Recovery Team can provide support to producers following the June storms and floods across Victoria.

There is Agriculture Recovery support available in each of the regions affected including Central and southwest Gippsland, Central Highlands, Macedon Ranges and Yarra Valley and surrounds, to provide support with issues in livestock, dairy, cropping, irrigation and horticulture.

Agriculture Victoria can offer technical advice on:

• pasture recovery and grazing management
• soil erosion management
• animal health, nutrition and feed budgeting
• whole farm planning
• water quality, budgeting
• farm water reticulation and dam management
• farm business planning.

Producers and growers are encouraged to contact the Agriculture Victoria Ag Recovery Team on 0427 694 185 or email. 

[Back to Top]

Grants of up to $25,000 are available to help reimburse primary producers for clean-up and recovery activities as a direct result of the Severe Weather Event on 9 - 11 June 2021.

The Exceptional Circumstances Recovery Grants can be used to cover activities including removing fallen trees, removing silt and debris, specialist support for landslip and erosion remediation.

The support can also contribute to the cost of repairs or replacement of damaged farm infrastructure such as fencing and equipment.

To apply for a grant or to see if you are eligible, visit the Rural Finance website.

[Back to Top]

An Agriculture Recovery Team is working to support farm businesses as they recover from the recent grass fires in Western Victoria.

The recovery effort, which includes one-on-one technical advice and support, is being delivered by Agriculture Victoria technical specialists led by an Agriculture Recovery Manager.

Farmers requiring ongoing support will be assigned an agriculture recovery team member who will work closely with them to provide advice and support.

Agriculture Victoria extension staff can provide primary producers with information and advice on:

• feed budgeting
• livestock health
• pasture recovery
• soil and gully erosion
• fencing repair and replacement
• land classing
• sediment management and removal from farm dams to maintain water quality.

To contact the Agriculture Recovery Team on 0427 694 185 or email.

For more information on managing recovery after fire visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

[Back to Top]

On 5 January a severe localised weather event affected the Ballarat and Creswick areas, with hail and heavy rainfall of up to 170mm, resulting in flooding, building damage, fallen trees and crop damage and losses.

The most heavily impacted areas in the Central Highlands include Newlyn, Dean, Mollongghip and Clarkes Hill.

Agriculture Victoria is working with primary producers, landholders, local government and service providers across the three affected shires which includes Hepburn Shire, City of Ballarat and Moorabool Shire.

Agriculture Victoria has appointed an Agriculture Recovery Team, led by an Agriculture Recovery Manager to coordinate support for local producers, providing technical information and referrals to other available support.

Agriculture Victoria can provide primary producers with information and technical advice on:

• soil management
• sediment and run-off issues
• water quality management
• pasture recovery
• fencing repair and replacement
• livestock health and feed budgeting
• business decision making support.

To contact the Agriculture Recovery Team on 0427 694 185 or email.

Information on managing storm or flood recovery can be found on the Agriculture Victoria website.

[Back to Top]

Visit Agriculture Victoria’s website for the latest information and resources relating to livestock and animals.

Agriculture Victoria is delivering workshops, farm walks and online information sessions. Visit the Agriculture Victoria website for a list of upcoming events.

The RFCS provides free financial counselling to farmers and small related businesses who are in, or at risk of, financial hardship. Counsellors can also assist applicants to apply for the Farm Household Allowance (FHA).

For more information visit the RFCS website or contact your local recovery support officer by searching the RFCS online directory. 

The National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) provides health and safety education and advice to farmers and their families via the Online Ag Health program. 

For more information visit the National Centre for Farmer Health or contact Cecilia Fitzgerald on (03) 5551 8533

[Back to Top]