• Victoria’s ag sector united in taking climate action
• Surveillance of animal disease in Victoria 
• Don't feed swill to pigs
• Have you heard the buzz? It’s all about BeeMAX
• Caring for and protecting Victoria’s animals
• AgVic Talk podcast - We are here to help with Corey Iredale and Viliami Vea
• Have your say on Victoria’s biosecurity laws
• Preparedness is key
• Fox and wild dog bounty collection details
• ICYMI
• What's on?

Picture: Statement launch attendees, L- R:  Matt Lowe (CEO, Agriculture Victoria), Greg Morris (Agriculture Victoria), Craig Taverner (CEO, Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria), Fiona Davis (CEO, Farmers for Climate Action), Susannah Tymms (Dairy Australia), Emma Germano (President, Victorian Farmers Federation), Robyn McLean (GippsDairy), Tom McIntosh (MLC Eastern Victoria), Pablo Alvarez (Agriculture Victoria), David Brennan (Chair, VicCatchments), Joe Jacobs (Agriculture Victoria), Leah Marrett (Agriculture Victoria), Hon Gayle Tierney MP, Gillian Hayman (VACCC member), Jack Holden (VACCC member), Nicola Pero (CEO, Food & Fibre Gippsland), Chris Buckingham (CEO, Latrobe Valley Authority), Jennifer Duke (Agriculture Victoria). Also in attendance: Bret Ryan (CEO, Southern Farming Systems), Margaret Jewell (Meat & Livestock Australia)

Also in attendance: Bret Ryan (CEO, Southern Farming Systems), Margaret Jewell (Meat & Livestock Australia).

A new plan to build a climate-resilient agriculture sector in Victoria by reducing emissions and collaborating with industry and community has been released by the Victorian Government.

Minister for Agriculture Gayle Tierney this week launched the Victorian Agriculture and Climate Change Statement at Agriculture Victoria’s Ellinbank SmartFarm.

The statement outlines a plan towards a profitable and productive agriculture sector that takes action on climate change, and is a key part of the Agriculture Sector Pledge released in May last year.

The statement has been supported by the Victorian Farmers Federation and Farmers for Climate Action.

Developed over the last 12 months, the statement has been informed by engagement through the Victorian Agriculture and Climate Change Council and more than 90 stakeholders and 45 organisations have had their input.

The statement backs in a plan for agriculture industries to become more climate resilient with projects already underway to address climate change challenges.

At Ellinbank SmartFarm the government is delivering on the Agriculture Sector Pledge, with researchers testing technologies and practices to reduce emissions with an ambitious target of being the world’s first carbon-neutral dairy farm by 2026.

The Victorian Government’s Climate Change Strategy, the 10-year Agriculture Strategy, and the Agriculture Sector Pledge all play a vital role in building a climate-resilient Victorian agriculture sector by reducing emissions and collaborating with industry and community to understand, adapt and grow as Victoria targets net zero.

To view the Victorian Agriculture and Climate Change Statement visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/climate-statement.

Dr Jeff Cave, Agriculture Victoria Senior Veterinary Officer

Victoria’s livestock industries are fortunate to be free of most of the serious diseases that affect animals in other parts of the world.

Despite this fact, on-going surveillance for new or exotic disease is important to protect our livestock, to reassure our trading partners of Victoria’s favourable disease status, and to ensure the early detection of diseases that might impact on trade, public health, and farm or regional productivity.

Early detection of emerging or exotic disease is the key to their effective management and this relies on farmers, vets and government working together.

In the course of doing farm visits and treating livestock, veterinary practitioners must remain vigilant and consider the possibility of new, unusual or exotic diseases.

Agriculture Victoria has an initiative that allows veterinarians who investigate and report on outbreaks of unusual or significant animal disease to be paid a subsidy to help cover the cost of the investigation and associated laboratory fees. 

The subsidy program increases the likelihood of early reporting of a serious animal disease and assists with costs associated with any subsequent investigation. Payment of subsidies is conditional upon approval being given by Agriculture Victoria before the investigation begins.

This subsidy can be paid when:

• a large number of animals are affected or there is an unusual presentation of a disease
• an initial investigation fails to establish a diagnosis, or veterinary treatment does not produce the expected response
• clinical signs are consistent with an emergency disease without a clear alternative diagnosis
• there is a possible effect on trade, public health or the viability of a farm, industry or region.

When an exotic or emergency disease is suspected, Agriculture Victoria will undertake the disease investigation and cover the full cost of the investigation.

Producers and animal owners should immediately report suspected or identified exotic disease to their vet or the 24-hour emergency animal disease watch hotline on 1800 675 888.

For more information about Victoria’s significant animal disease program, including how to access subsidies, visit the Agriculture Victoria website.

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. 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.

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

Visit BeeMAX 

The Victorian Government is supporting Victorian pet rescue groups so more dogs and cats find their forever home.

Minister for Agriculture Gayle Tierney earlier this month announced Round 2 of the Victorian Government’s Individual Pet Rehoming Grants with $1.25 million in funding available to pet rescue organisations providing vital rehoming services.

Eligible organisations may apply to be reimbursed for $500 per dog and $200 per cat for some rehoming costs including: desexing, microchipping, vaccinations, the purchase of crates, bedding and leads, and training or rehabilitation.

The first round of the Individual Pet Rehoming Grants, in 2021-22, provided 464 grants that contributed to the rehoming costs of more than 4000 cats and 1400 dogs.

The grants recognise the significant role pets have in the lives of Victorians and encourage responsible pet ownership.

It comes as the government continues to work on modernising the state’s animal care and protection laws, with Victorians encouraged to have their say on a plan for the new laws.

The Animal Care Plan, informed by previous industry and community consultation, explains what would change from how the current laws work.

Minimum care requirements for animals in the care and control of people would be set in Victorian law for the first time, which would enable earlier intervention to prevent cruelty before it happens.

A new category of cruelty offence would be introduced of intentional or reckless cruelty for the most serious types of cruelty, with significant penalties applying.

The feedback will inform the development of draft legislation to replace the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The public can read the plan for the new laws and provide feedback at engage.vic.gov.au until Sunday 16 October.

For more information on Individual Pet Rehoming grants and to apply visit agriculture.vic.gov.au.

Crucial to the success of the Sunraysia food bowl are the estimated 15,000 seasonal workers who pick crops and maintain orchards.  

In this episode of AgVic Talk, we talk with Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council (SMECC) Pastoral Care Program coordinator Corey Iredale and pastoral care worker Viliami Vea.

Viliami began as a seasonal worker at 21 and now generously gives back to his community as a SMECC pastoral care worker.  

Corey and Viliami talk about keeping seasonal workers healthy and happy and supporting them to stay in the region.  

Listen online via the AgVic website 🎧 

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

The Victorian 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.

Strong and modern biosecurity laws will ensure Victoria maintains its reputation as a producer and exporter of safe and high-quality produce.

Legislative reform also provides an opportunity to develop laws that address risks, and support new ways for government, industry and the community to work together.

Combining the laws relating to animals, plants and pests currently provided across multiple pieces of legislation into a single Biosecurity Act will help make everyone’s responsibilities clear.

There is also opportunity to consider how biosecurity legislation can emphasise that biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility, and to recognise Traditional Owner rights and knowledge systems in Caring for Country.

This is the first time Victorians have the opportunity to have their say on combining the biosecurity laws.

Feedback received will help the government understand the priorities of the public and guide the development of new policies.

The reform delivers on the government’s ambitious 10-year agriculture strategy, ensuring the sector is well-placed to guard against future risk.

Community members can complete a survey or make a submission by midnight, Sunday 9 October at engage.vic.gov.au.

Dr Jeff Cave, Senior Veterinary Officer

There is no way of knowing when or where in Australia an exotic disease outbreak may occur, so to be prepared, we need an accurate and up-to-date database at all times.

That’s why in Victoria, when livestock are moved between two properties with different property identification codes (PICs) the transfer must record on the NLIS database within two days.

The person responsible for updating the NLIS database has been legally defined to ensure all responsible parties are aware of the transfer.

If you are buying cattle, sheep or goats from a sale yard, scale, or on-farm public auction, or selling them directly to an abattoir, it is the responsibility of the person operating the business to notify the database.

Otherwise, if you buy livestock privately, or through an online selling platform such as AuctionsPlus, Gumtree or Facebook, or if you receive livestock through agistment or a loan, it is your responsibility to notify the database. 

You can engage a third party such as the vendor or a stock agent to do this, but you are still required to ensure the transfer was completed on your behalf.

What if you are not sure if the NLIS database is accurate for your PIC? Then it may be time to reconcile your PIC. 

This is like a stocktake, where you compare all NLIS devices on your property, both attached to livestock and those not used to those on the NLIS database. The NLIS database will provide instructions on what to do with any discrepancies.

For further information on recording property to property movements please either visit www.nlis.com.au, contact the NLIS Helpdesk on 1800 654 743, or at support@nlis.com.au.

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.

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

Visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/bounty to find out more.

Collections will only be accepted at the designated times.

The collection schedule for North West Victoria, includes:

Bendigo collections (Fox only), Corner Midland Highway and Taylor Street, Epsom, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm

Dates:

• Monday, 26 September
• Monday, 24 October.

Ouyen collections, Fox and wild dog (wild dog by appointment only), Gregory Street, Ouyen, 2 – 4 pm

Dates:

• Tuesday, 27 September
• Tuesday, 25 October.

St Arnaud collections (Fox only), 4 Montague Street, St Arnaud, Victoria, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm

Dates:

• Thursday, 29 September
• Thursday, 27 October.

2022 Swan Hill collections (Fox only), 7 Quin Drive, Swan Hill, 8.30 – 10.30 am

Dates:

• Tuesday, 27 September
• Tuesday, 25 October.

Ground-Breaking Farmers Cutting Food Waste

Victorian Government is supporting Victorian vegetable producers to keep food waste from landfill, with innovations that create new jobs and revenue streams. 

Minister for Environment and Climate Action Lily D’Ambrosio recently visited a business in Werribee South which is turning surplus vegetables into powders ready for supermarket shelves.

READ THE FULL MEDIA RELEASE HERE 

Be alert for elevated disease risk coming into spring

Farmers are being encouraged to look out for signs of disease in field crops coming into spring and take action to minimise the impacts on their crops.

Agriculture Victoria Senior Cereal Pathologist, Dr Mark McLean said diseases in cereal and pulse crops in Victoria were observed earlier than usual this season due to the wet conditions.

“We’ve so far had reports of powdery mildew and stripe rust in wheat, Ascochyta blight in lentils and bean, and Botrytis grey mould/chocolate spot in bean, lentil and vetch.

“Given the wet conditions, and the outlook for a wetter than average couple of months ahead, growers and advisers are encouraged to inspect and monitor crops closely for diseases. Proactive disease management with fungicide is warranted under these conditions to avoid crop losses.”

READ THE FULL MEDIA RELEASE HERE

Improving accessibility with AgVic eBooks

The Agriculture Victoria Crop Disease Guides are being piloted as an AgVic eBook to help improve their accessibility to growers and agronomists.

Agriculture Victoria Grains Pathology Services Project Officer Luise Fanning said the annual guides, produced with support from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), detail how resistant or susceptible new and commonly grown cereal and pulse varieties are to a range of crop diseases.

“Launching the guides as an eBook will improve their accessibility, making it easier for growers and agronomists to keep up to date with the latest information."

READ THE FULL MEDIA RELEASE 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.

Don’t miss this opportunity to ensure your organisation’s priorities are recognised in a national strategy for market access and biosecurity using irradiation.

Use of phytosanitary irradiation has grown significantly over the past year with more than 35 Australian-grown crops using it to reach domestic and export markets.

Presented by Agriculture Victoria, this half-day online, or full-day in-person workshop is an opportunity to join a broad group of stakeholders from industry, research and government to ensure that phytosanitary irradiation continues to be developed to protect and grow Australia’s horticulture industry.

The workshop will cover the experiences of industries using irradiation as a biosecurity measure, overcoming barriers to trade, understanding Australian food standards. These sessions will all be available for online participants.

Those attending in-person will also access a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of irradiation, and a tour of Steritech’s Melbourne irradiation facility.

When: Thursday, 15 September.
Where: 475 Mickleham Road, Attwood (five minutes from Melbourne airport).

Online attendance is available for the first three sessions.

REGISTER HERE

Program:

9 – 11.30am – Sessions 1 to 3 available online.

• Session 1 – Phytosanitary irradiation: Industry experience
• Session 2 – Phytosanitary irradiation: Overcoming barriers to trade
• Session 3 – Understanding Australian food standards.

11.40am – 12.40pm – Panel and audience discussion.

• Session 4 – Phytosanitary irradiation workshop: Confronting challenges and seeking opportunities.

1.30 – 5.00pm – Tour of Steritech’s Melbourne Irradiation Facility. Bus is provided.

For more information, contact Martin Bluml at Agriculture Victoria on 0408 109 647 or at martin.bluml@agriculture.vic.gov.au

WHEN: Thursday 15 September, 12 midday to 1 pm

REGISTER HERE

Cam Nicholson and Fiona Conroy have a long interest in improving, measuring and understanding the benefits from managing the natural resources on their farm.

The main focus has been on soil, water, vegetation and fauna.  Actions include extensive tree planting, fencing off water storages, reticulation into troughs, soil testing every paddock every 3 years (since 1993), as well as bird and fauna monitoring.

More recently they have been interested in understanding the opportunities and future market challenges around carbon accounting and reporting.  In this webinar Fiona and Cam will describe their progress so far and their future thinking around carbon, emissions and sequestration.

More information
For more information about this event contact Heather Field by email heather.field@agriculture.vic.gov.au or phone 0438 391 210.

WHEN: Friday 16 September, 10 am to 3 pm

WHERE: DELWP office, Cnr Midland Hwy and Taylor St, Epsom

REGISTER HERE

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

Topics

• Why biosecurity is important* Programs and systems that support the livestock industry
• Disease, pest and plant biosecuirty risks in your 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.

The session will run from 10 am - 3 pm, with light refreshments provided.

Numbers are limited to allow for an interactive session.

When you register you will be asked to provide your Property Identification Code (PIC).

If this workshop is booked out, please still register and you will be added to a wait-list. You will then be contacted if a spot becomes available or if another workshop is advertised in future in your area.

More information

For more information about this event contact Morgan Cassell by email on morgan.cassell@agriculture.vic.gov.au or phone 0427 681 714.

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.

Picture: Senior irrigation officer Nick O'Halloran inspects a horticultural drip irrigation system.

Agriculture Victoria is running a one-day workshop for irrigators in Numurkah on Wednesday 14 September.

Presented by Agriculture Victoria’s Jeremy Giddings and Netafim Australia’s Peter Henry, the Advanced Drip Irrigation Course will provide the latest information on drip irrigation system design, operation and maintenance.

Relevant for horticulture or broadacre, subsurface or surface drip irrigation.

Bring your own irrigation design with you on the day, and come prepared for time outside assessing a drip irrigation system.

When: 14 September, 9am – 4pm.

Where: Numurkah.

Register to attend and receive final details by 5pm Friday 9 September.

Call Nick O’Halloran on 0438 321 528 or email nick.ohalloran@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Attend a free masterclass to help grain growers and advisers tap into the higher grain production potential of sandy soils. Constrained by their limited capacity to hold moisture and nutrients, many sandy soils in the state's low- and medium-rainfall zones produce less than half of their yield potential.

With new knowledge generated from a consortium of researchers, growers can access new tools, techniques and know-how to get more out of their sandy soils through six half-day masterclasses.

During the masterclasses participants will:

• Identify soil constraints in a soil pit with a soil specialist
• Inspect ripping and other responses in the paddock with agronomists
• Discuss machinery selection and set up with engineering experts
• Explore decision support tools
• Review how soil amelioration might impact farm profit and risk.

When: Friday, 16 September.

Time: 9am – 1.30 pm.

Register by contacting Tanja Morgan on 0429 395 918 or at tanja.morgan@msfp.org.au

Come along to the Irrigated Cropping Council's Research Field Day and gain valuable information on the latest irrigated variety and agronomic research in the region.

Crops in focus include canola, wheat, barley, faba beans, chick peas, clovers and peas.

When: Friday 16 September, 10am – 3.30pm.

Where: Kerang-Koondrook Road, Kerang.

Register by contacting Mel Mann on 0447 803 305 or at mel.mann@irrigatedcroppingcouncil.com.au.

Each year Gardiner Dairy Foundation supports two places in the Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program (LMCLP) for regionally based people working on Victorian dairy farms, in dairy processing or as service providers.

LEAD Loddon Murray provides communities with the confidence and knowledge to be clear about what they want to achieve, to find strength within the community and to lead themselves. We understand the tremendous work that community leaders do to build vibrant and sustainable regional communities.

For more information CLICK HERE

Expressions of interest for this program can now be submitted by filling out THIS FORM.

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